Surprises in the Sand
by Wylde Wolf
Summary: While looking for a temple on Tatooine, Luke comes across the daughter of a certain secret apprentice. T for language and some violence. Reviews are welcomed!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

It was a very hot summer on Tatooine. Hotter than normal. Most beings stayed inside during this time of day. The streets of Mos Espa were empty except for two figures. One of the humans was dressed in black robes while his companion had on thick wrappings, to protect himself from the sand.

"Luke, do you even know where to start looking?" Han asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't worry about it, Han. I'm searching for a, quieter cantina." Luke said

"Finding a quiet cantina won't be easy, kid. A quiet cantina normally means trouble." Han said

Luke knew Han was right. The former smuggler had more experience with this sort of thing than Luke did.

"Let's try this one then." Luke nodded to his left.

A sign hung above the door with the words _The Drunken Dragon_ on it. They entered the cantina and headed for the bar. Luke took a seat with Han sitting down next to him. A shorter man with receding black hair approached them, presumable the bartender.

"What can I get for you gents?" He asked in a gruff voice.

"Corellian ale, if you've got it." Han replied

"Nothing for me." Was Luke's response

"Then what can I do for you? People only come to cantinas for drinks or information." The bartender said

"I'm looking for anyone that could take us through Krayt Canyon." Luke replied

"Not many are willing to go there, but you might be able to recruit one of the local swoop gangs to help you out. There's only two here in Mos Espa. The Black Krayts and the Rouge Riders." The bar tender replied

"Do you recommend one over the other?" Han asked.

"I prefer not to get involve with the gangs. If one of them realizes I help one more than the other, well it's not good for business." The bar tender pointed to the back corner where an elder man sat by himself. "Over in the corner there is Spencer. He could tell you about both gangs."

Luke walked over to his table. He noticed the man was blind in his right eye.

"Hello Spencer, I was told you could tell me about the Black Krayts and Rouge Riders."

"Sure. Is there anything particular you want to know about?" the old man asked in a soft voice. He reminded Luke of Ben.

"No, nothing in particular." Luke responded.

"Well, the Black Krayts are the meaner of the two groups. They're led by two boys by the names of Viper and Jett. Viper's a big burly kid, while Jett is lean and lanky. There's only one way to identify the Black Krayts. They ride swoops with Krayt dragons breathing black fire on the sides." Spencer stopped to take a drink.

"The Rouge Riders are the newer of the two. Lot nicer too. They are led by a kid named Ari, the one who started the group. Pretty strong I hear. Anyways, they ride swoops and bikes. They have a gold and aqua armband and on their right arms with the Rebel Alliance insignia on it."

"How can we contact the Rouge Riders?" Luke asked, deciding to go with the nicer of the two groups.

"Their second in command, Fang, comes in here for lunch every day. He's a red-furred Razor. He should be here soon. Shows up about the same time everyday."

"Thank you for your help." Luke said and walked back to Han

"Well?" Han asked.

"The Rouge Riders sound like our best bet. One of the leaders should be here soon. Keep an eye out for a red-furred Razor." Luke replied.

"I think he's already here." Han said pointing to the entrance of the cantina.

In the door way, stood a wolf like creature, with red fur, big muscled arms and piercing yellow eyes. He walked to the bar.

"Want your usual, Fang?" the Bartender asked

"Nah, surprise me, Marko." The Razor said in a gruff, yet kind voice.

Fang turned and saw Han staring at him.

"What are ya lookin' at?" Fang asked

"Um, we were wondering if you could possibly take us into Krayt Canyon." Luke interrupted

"Me or the Rouge Riders in general?" Fang asked, with his eyebrow raised

"The Rouge Riders. We need to find something in the canyon." Luke said

"Hmm...I've gotta check first. Give me a minute." Fang said and walked outside. A minute later, he re-entered.

"Ari's willing to talk to you. Follow me." He said

Outside the cantina sat a flat black speeder car, with two red stripes going from the hood to the rear.

"Nice car. You came to a cantina in this though?" Han said.

"One of the other Riders dropped it off. I doubted you had rides of your own." Fang replied as he hopped into the driver's seat.

Luke sat in the front passenger's seat, while Han sat in the back.

Fang drove off through the city, and stopped in front of a salvage shop. Fang hopped out and led Luke and Han inside.

"Wait here for a sec." He said and walked into the back.

Luke looked around. He knew is father work as a slave in a similar shop here in Mos Espa. He wondered if this was possibly the one he worked in.

"Only one is permitted to meet with Ari. Two people present too much danger. We've been attack too many times by outsiders hired by the Krayts." Fang said

"I'll go." Volunteered Luke.

"Follow the hall to the very back room. If you pull something, you'll be dead faster than you can say Kreth." Fang said.

Luke followed Fang's directions and walked into a poorly lit room. There was a desk and two chairs in the room. One chair was in front of the desk, the other behind it. The figure in the chair behind the desk was in the shadows; Luke couldn't make out a face.

"Fang says you are looking for someone to take you through Krayt Canyon." Said a female voice

Luke was surprised to hear a girl's voice. But he didn't let his face show it.

"Yes, my friend and I need to go to the Temple of Black Sand." Luke explained.

"I can take you there. But it will be a long journey. The canyon is vast with many perils. Do you think you can handle it?" She asked in an icy voice

"I believe my friend and I are up to the task."

"Alright then. Meet me at _The Drunken Dragon_ tomorrow at 0600 hours." She replied

"Thank you." Luke said.

He got up to leave but then stopped.

"How will I know who it is I'm looking for?" Luke asked facing the shadowed figure

"You'll know me when you see me."

"Alright." Luke then turned and left the room.

After he walked into the main room, Fang turned and went to the back room. Luke and Han left.

"Well, what happened?" Han asked

"She's agreed to help us." Luke responded

"She? Wait a minute, the leader of a swoop gang is a girl? That's not common." Han said in disbelief

"It surprised me too. But she sounded confident that she could help us. Let's go back to the cantina. I want to find out some more information on this Ari." Luke said.

Once the two men were back at the cantina, Luke looked for Spencer, hoping he could tell him more about Ari. But Han went looking for two speeders they could rent for the trip.

Luke went to the corner where Spencer was earlier, but to his disappointment, he was gone.

Luke went back to Marko, the bartender.

"Back again, eh?" Ari turn you down?" Marko asked, while cleaning a glass.

"No, she agreed to help us. I was wondering if anybody could tell us about her."

"I don't like associating with the gangs, but almost everyone knows Ari's story. It's a rough one." Marko sighed.

"Oh?" Luke said shocked

"Ari's father was supposedly a Jedi who served under Vader, then turned against him. He was along the lines of an assassin. He died before she was born, fighting the Emperor and Vader. Her mother was a former Captain of Black Squadron. She later was his personal pilot. After he died, she joined the rebellion. From here, we know the actual facts. Her mother was killed in a battle when Ari was two. The girl's uncle, as she called him, brought her here. He raised her until imperials killed him when she was six, something about him being a Jedi. The father's droid continued to raise her until she was 13. It disappeared into the desert, saying its programming wasn't complete. I think it went crazy in the end. Ari then joined the Black Krayts."

"I thought they hated Ari?" Luke asked, puzzled

"No, back then, a young man by the name of Jacobi was leader. They were respectable then, but now with Jett and Viper leading, they are trash. Anyways, she lived with them. One girl is a boy's gang. I think the only reason she was safe was because Jacobi protected her."

"What happened to him?" Luke interrupted

"He went out into the Jundland Wastes and was killed by Tuskan Raiders. This happened about a year and a half ago. That's when Jett and Viper took over and Ari left to form her own gang. Her life has been filled with nothing but loss and hatred. People have been mean to her, especially Jett. Even when they were little, he would harass her. She finally gave up one day and punched him in the nose, breaking it. When she was with the Krayts, the boys were mean to her, when Jacobi wasn't around of course. She doesn't trust easily. Fang is really the only one whom she does trust."

"Why?" Luke asked again

"Nobody is sure why. He just showed up with them one day."

There was a minute of silence. Luke broke it with another question.

"Does anybody know her last name?"

"I'm not sure, but, I think its Marek. At least that's what somebody said."

Luke's eyes widened with that information. The only Marek he knew of was indeed an apprentice to Vader, but he turned on him when Vader almost killed him. He was the one who formed the Rebel Alliance. Galen Marek. Luke knew that Galen's pilot turned her back on the Empire and helped the Rebel Alliance. Everything seemed to fit together. But he couldn't be sure until he saw the girl.

"Thanks for the info."

Luke dropped a few coins on the bar and left to go tell Han this information.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

"Are you sure, kid. I mean, yeah, Marek isn't a common name, but it could be just a coincidence." Han said shaking his head.

"I'm sure it's his daughter, Han." Luke said, trying to convince his friend

"You didn't even see her face. And what about the lack of a Force signature? She must have inherited some of his abilities."

Luke thought about what Han just said. It was true; Luke couldn't sense the Force with her. But it was possible it hadn't manifested itself yet.

"But Leia's didn't manifest until recently. You know that." Luke said

Han almost shot something back, but realizing Luke wouldn't change his mind, he dropped it. He knew his brother-in-law too well.

"Fine. I'm going to bed then. I want to get as much sleep as possible. Night." With that Han shut off his light.

Luke and Han had found a cheap inn to spend the night. Han's bed was near the window while Luke's was closer to the door. Soon Han was snoring. Luke just stared at the ceiling, pondering the day's events. Soon, sleep over took him.

_The sky had grown dark, clouds had blocked out the twin suns. Luke looked around, expecting a sandstorm to appear. He only saw a figure on the horizon, lightning surrounding his arms, walking towards the edge of the storm. Luke ran to join the other person, activating his lightsaber, ready for whatever was coming. As the storm got closer, Luke noticed the figure was a young girl. He started to approach the girl. _

"_Stay back!" she yelled_

_Luke recognized the voice belonging to Ari. As she said that the storm enveloped her._

"_NOOO!" Luke yelled_

_He saw lightning swirling around in the storm. A bolt of lightning shot right out at Luke, hitting him in the chest._

Luke bolted up and was breathing heavily. Sweat was dripping down his forehead.

"Luke, are you alright?" Han said standing beside his bed, with his blaster in his hand.

"I'm...I'm fine, just a...a dream." Luke said still panting.

"What happened? I've never heard you yell like that." Han said sitting down on his own bed.

"I'm not sure." Luke said.

"Well, we better get moving if we want to be there on time." Han said changing his shirt.

Luke got up and went into the fresher. He looked in the mirror. His forehead was sweating still. He took a towel and dried it off.

When he walked out, he saw Han was already set. Luke quickly changed and they left the room. After checking out, Han and Luke left for _The Drunken Dragon_.

When they reached the bar, they saw a figure leaning against a speederbike. When Ari walked toward them, Luke finally got a good look at her features. She had a strong stubborn look about her, but her brown eyes showed something else. Luke wasn't sure what it was yet. He saw that she had long brown hair, with a blonde streak, pulled back into a pony tail. She had a scar along the left side of her face. He noticed she was tan, like most people who live on Tatooine. But her features were recognizable. He knew immediately that she was Galen's daughter. From the one holo he had seen of Galen, he knew. He noticed she had a pistol and a vibroblade on her belt. He wondered how she held the blade.

Luke hopped off of his bike to greet Ari. Han followed suit.

"I wondered if you were coming." Ari said in an icy voice.

"I told you we would still come. We need to reach the temple." Luke responded

"Alright. It's about a two day ride to the canyon. About another full day to get to the temple. Ready?" she asked mounting her bike.

"When ever you are." Luke replied

Ari started her bike, which quietly came to life. Flipping the lights on, she took the lead. Luke and Han rode side by side behind Ari. It was about a half hour later when one of the suns peaked out from behind the horizon. Luke looked at the young girl leading them, wondering about many things.

At mid-day they stopped for lunch. Luke decided to ask a few of his many questions.

"How did you get your scar?" Luke asked.

"I got into a fight when I was little with an older kid. He insulted my family so I punched him. He swiped his dagger at me, and I knocked his feet out from under him. He broke his ankle as he fell." Ari said pulling out a nutribar.

"Sounds like a fun experience." Han said sarcastically

She shrugged her shoulders and faced the suns. Luke continued to watch her, trying to figure her out. A question popped into his head.

"Why do you use the Rebel Alliance insignia for the Rouge Riders?"

"Actually, it's my father's family crest. He was the one who formed the alliance."

"But why gold and aqua?" Luke asked

"Why are you asking questions? Ari shot back, in her icy voice

Luke was shocked. She seemed fine a minute ago. Now she was glaring at him. Her brown eyes had gotten darker.

"My life is my own to know about. I don't appreciate strangers to ask about it." She continued.

"I'm sorry. I was just curious." Luke apologized

The rest of lunch went by in silence. After mounting the bikes, the headed off again, only stopping when the first of the two suns had set. After setting up camp, Ari had gone off; making sure the surrounding area was safe. This left some time for Han and Luke to talk.

"Luke, if I were you, I wouldn't ask anymore questions. At least not out loud. Can't you read her thoughts?" Han asked

"No, she's been trained to shield them. I can't pick up on anything. Or else I wouldn't have said anything." Luke responded

"Well, I suggest you drop the questions. If she wanted, she could lead us into a Krayt's nest and leave us for dead. It wouldn't surprise me if she ends up doing just that."

"I don't think she'd d..." Luke stopped in mid sentence, because he saw Ari coming back.

"You don't have to stop talking on my account. It's not like people don't talk about me behind my back." She said walking to her bike.

"What make's you think we were talking about you, kid?" Han asked

"The wind was blowing in my direction. I could hear your voices." She said smugly.

"Well then, what were we saying?" Han retorted

"It wouldn't surprise you if I led you into a Krayt's nest." She said crossing her arms. "And no I wouldn't do that. I don't like many people, but I wouldn't do that to you. Jett and Viper maybe, but not you two. There wouldn't be a point in it seeing that you're Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. A former smuggler and a Jedi."

"You're now just realizing who we are?" Han asked

"No, I knew who it was that walked into the back room yesterday. I figure his best buddy would accompany him here. Not that hard to figure out. I'll take first watch tonight. There's a Tuscan camp just beyond that dune." She pointed to a distant mound of sand "They shouldn't give us any trouble though."

"Fine then, I'll take final watch." Han replied.

The conversation was dropped. Luke knew Han didn't like being away from Leia and his kids. And Han didn't like sand or heat. Luke was used to it though. He looked over at Ari again. She was facing the dune where the Tuscans were on the other side of.

"We should reach the canyon at mid day tomorrow. But we won't go in it until the next day. We will need a full day to get to the temple. I don't want to spend the night in some random cave." Ari said breaking the silence.

"We trust your judgment. You've done this before." Said Luke.

"So you expect us to not do anything tomorrow afternoon. We'll just sit there and wait?" Han said irritated.

"No, there are preparations we, well I, need to make before we enter the canyon. Our bikes won't go with us. The metal smell attracts the dragons. So they'll be put in one of the upper caves, out of harms way." Ari retorted.

"Fine." Was Han's only response

For dinner, they each ate in silence. Ari was adjusting parts on her bike. Luke was meditating and Han was trying to contact Leia. When the second sun set, Han went to bed and Ari took watch, sitting on her speeder, gazing at the stars. Luke, not ready for bed yet, walked over to her.

"Look, I'm sorry for my outburst earlier. I'm not used to people asking about me or my past. It's a touchy subject." Ari said with sincerity

"It's fine." Luke replied

"So, what is it you are looking for in this temple? Is it for the crystal inside?" she asked

"Yes. It supposedly allows the user to control the minds of others. If it falls in the wrong hands, the result would be dangerous." Luke said

"Then why has nobody come after it before."

"Beings have tried, but they couldn't navigate the canyon. They either got lost or killed."

"But the Black Krayts and Rouge Riders have explored the canyon before. We've gotten out alive." Ari countered

"But were you looking for the temple? Or did you stumble upon it by accident?"

"No, I'd never heard of the temp..." Ari stopped and looked around.

"What's goi..." Luke sensed it too. Somebody or something was near.

Ari pulled out her vibrosword while Luke woke Han up.

"Huh, what?" Han said groggy

"Tuscans are around the camp. Be ready for a fight."

Han was wide awake when Luke finished. Tuscans killed many people out in the desert. Soon the three were standing back to back with each other in a circle. Han had his pistol ready, Luke with his lightsaber and Ari had her vibroblade in her hand, holding it backhanded.

A Tuscan attacked Luke first, while another went for Ari. Han Started shooting into the darkness, only knowing he had hit something when a cry of pain was heard. The three had separated so they didn't hurt each other by accident. Ari quickly disposed of the first attacker when another attacked. Luke was keeping his attackers away with ease. Suddenly Han cried out in pain. A Tuscan had snuck up on him and knocked him unconscious with its gaffi stick. Luke rushed to his friend's side, and sliced Han's attacker in two. Ari was surrounded with Tuscans, as was Luke and the unconscious Han. Ari then pushed her attackers back with the Force. Luke stared in shock. She had no trace of the Force within her, but she just pushed away with it. The Tuscans that surrounded Luke turned and ran off into the desert. Ari was struggling to stay up on two legs, leaning against a near by rock for support. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing heavily.

"Are...are you ok?" She asked, not looking.

"I'm fine." Luke said "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I don't think I've ever put that much energy in a push before." She said breathing more regular.

"How did you do that? I can't sense the Force in you and yet you just used it." Luke asked

"It's a long story. I'll tell you later. Is Han ok?" Ari asked no standing without the rocks help.

"He seems ok. Just knock out. Do you think they'll come back?" Luke asked

"I doubt it." Ari said confidently

"Ok. I'm going to sleep then. Wake me when it's my turn for watch." Luke said carrying Han into the tent. Ari sat on her bike, watching in the direction the Tuscan ran off.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Somebody was shaking Luke. He opened his eyes to see Han waking him.

"What?" Luke asked.

"Did the kid wake you for watch?" Han asked

"No. No, she didn't." Luke said crawling out of his sleeping bag.

"I wonder why she didn't." Han said rubbing the back of his head.

"Is she outside?"

"Yeah, sitting on her bike, cleaning her blade. I walked out to see if she was still here, and she nodded at me. She seemed like a different person from yesterday."

Luke thought about the conversation he had with Ari. He was going to speak, but Han had already left the tent. Luke followed him.

It was still dark outside, the twin suns had not yet raised above the dunes. Han walked to his bike, reaching for his pack for breakfast. Ari put her blade away and walked over to them.

"Why didn't you wake us for the watches?" Luke asked

"I don't trust people well, and you seemed tired after the attack." Ari said, not making eye contact with Luke. Instead she was focusing on taking down the tent.

"I was fine. How are you going to make it without sleep?"

"I've gone days without sleep before. It's not that hard." She retorted.

Luke let it drop. It was no use arguing with people this early in the morning.

Soon, the trio was heading out across the sands on their bikes. Like yesterday, Ari was leading with Luke and Han close behind. As the suns moved higher in the sky, it got very hot very fast. As Ari had promised, by mid day, they reached the edge of Krayt Canyon.

"Alright, we need to carry everything on us from here until we leave the canyon. Like I said yesterday, the bikes attract the dragons, so we'll have to leave them here." Ari said walking hers to a cave near the top of the canyon walls. Over the entrance was the Rouge Riders symbol carved into the rock.

"Is this an official hiding place for your bikes?" Han asked

"Kinda. When we come here to explore, this is where we store our bikes. Only people in the Rouge Riders know where it is. The Black Krayts have their own spot." She said maneuvering her bike into the cave. She came back out and grabbed the other two bikes and put them in the cave.

"Now what?" Han asked

"Nothing. We can't do much until tomorrow." Ari replied, setting up the tent.

Han leaned up against the canyon wall with his datapad, trying to contact Leia. Luke helped Ari with the tent. As soon as it was pitched Ari pulled out her pistol and checked it, making sure it was in top condition. Luke decided to ask another question.

"Where did you learn how to fight?"

"My father's droid." Ari sighed. "Why do you keep asking questions? I told you yesterday, my past is my own. Nobody else needs to know about it."

"Luke will you drop it!" Han said as he face palmed

"The smuggler understands it, but why can't you?" Ari huffed

"Fine, I'll tell you why! I'm trying to figure out how Galen Marek's daughter ended up here on Tatooine!" Luke said frustrated

Ari opened her mouth then closed it again. She looked at the sky for a minute and then looked at the ground. When she finally looked Luke in the eyes, he saw they had softened, showing pain and sorrow.

"I'm sure Marko told you what he knew. Most people know the basic story." She said quietly. "My father was indeed Galen Marek. As you probably know, he died fighting Vader and the Emperor on the Death Star. After he died, my mother, Juno Eclipse, was heart broken. She stayed with the Rebellion though, trying to help in any way she could. After I was born, she left to take care of me, along with Uncle Kota and PROXY. She took me to Kashyyyk. I don't remember much, a faint memory of Wookiees, the Wroshyr trees, and the Rouge Shadow, my mom's ship. When I was two and a half, Imperials tried to invade the planet again. Uncle Kota and PROXY took me off the planet, while my mom stayed and helped the Wookiees fight. I never saw her again after that." Ari stopped for a second to wipe a tear from her eye.

"What happened next?" Han asked, interested.

"I remember being in a ship for a few weeks. Uncle Kota said we were looking for a safe place to live and hide. He decided Tatooine was the best place. The Empire never took a great interest in the planet. For four years he raised me, teaching me the ways of the Jedi and the Force. When I was six, Stormtroopers came looking for him, saying he was a Jedi. They found him and killed him. PROXY had known they were coming and got me out of there before they arrived. We didn't leave the planet. PROXY knew they were coming only for Uncle Kota, they didn't know about either of us." She looked up at the sky again and sighed.

"So PROXY raised you, I'm assuming?" Luke asked

"Yeah. PROXY wasn't much of a caretaker, but he fed me and kept me safe. He even showed me different ways to fight with a lightsaber." She smiled at this next comment. "He told me I fought just like my father; even down to the way I held the lightsaber."

"I noticed you held it in the back of your hand. Why?" Luke asked

"It felt comfortable. I don't know why, it just did. When I was thirteen, PROXY started acting odd. I thought he was short-circuiting. I tried to fix him, but nothing worked. One night he just walked off into the desert, saying 'Primary programming has not been complete.' From there, you know the rest. Jacobi took me like his little sister until he was killed over a year ago. Then I left the Black Krayts and formed the Rouge Riders." Ari finished.

"How old are you?" Han asked

"A month away from seventeen."

Luke was stunned. A sixteen year old had gone through that much pain and loss in that short amount of time. No wonder she was so hostile to other beings!

"I'm sorry." Luke said

"It's fine. But now you know why I don't like to talk about it. If you don't mind, I don't want to answer anymore questions." Ari said returning to checking her pistol.

Han went back to his datapad, while Luke was still pondering everything Ari had told them. The Kota she talked about had to be Master Rahm Kota. Luke heard a beeping sound and looked up. It was Ari's comm link. She got up and walked off a distance to answer it. Luke couldn't hear what was being said, but a look of anger crossed Ari's face. She walked back few minutes later.

"We have a problem." She said calmly


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

"We have a problem." Ari said calmly. "The Krayts leaders, Jett and Viper, are gone. Fang said they left Mos Espa this morning. I think I know why."

"_Is_ that a problem?" Han asked.

"It shouldn't be but keep your guard. Jett can be exceptionally sneaky when he tries. Any chance he can get me away from the gang; he normally tries to attack me."

"But we have a day's head start. He shouldn't be able to catch up to us."

"I doubt they will stop for the night though. I don't like doing this, but we need to keep moving. I'd rather not be attacked in the middle of the night again." Ari said in her icy voice. She started to take down the tent.

"I thought you said we won't reach the temple before dark, so that's why we were staying." Han said

"We'll just have to spend the night in one of the higher up caves. As long as find a smaller one, we should be safe." Ari replied finishing up with the tent. "We will have to walk, but I know the canyon better than they do. They shouldn't be able to catch up. Now come on, I want to get moving now."

Han shot Luke a glance and shook his head. Luke could sense Han's anger swell up in him. Luke couldn't blame him. Han didn't want to be here, he wanted to be with Leia. And Ari wasn't exactly easy to work with. Luke sighed and followed Ari into the canyon.

After an hour of walking, they stopped for a break. Ari's commlink beeped again.

"Ari here." She said

"Ari, we've got problems here. The Krayts are making it so we can't get out of the city. Dak managed to escape and is heading after Jett and Viper." The voice on the commlink said

"Kreth!" Ari growled, clearly angry. "Fang, does Aurora know?"

"Yeah, she's the one who saw it. I know Dak took his commlink, but he won't respond." Fang replied.

"Alright. Did anyone follow him?"

"No. He left before they barricaded us in. I doubt they know he's not here."

"That's good. I'll try to contact him. Keep me updated. If a fight breaks out, make sure the Krayts start it and we finish it."

"Will do. Fang out."

Ari sighed and keyed in another code. After a minute a response came.

"Dak here." A male voice answered

"Dak, what the kreth do you think you're doing?" Ari said angry.

"I'm going after Jett and Viper. If the catch you, he's going to try and kill you."

"I'll be fine. It's _you_ I'm worried about. What if they catch you?" she asked, concerned

"They won't get me. I'm far enough back; I doubt they know I'm coming. Where are you anyways?"

"We're already an hour into the canyon. When Fang said Jett and Viper left, I decided to keep moving. If a fight is going to happen, I want it to be on _my_ terms."

"Alright, but be careful. I'm going to follow them still. Dak out."

Ari sighed. Luke could sense the shields in her mind lose their strength. She was worried about her friend, but was torn at what to do. Suddenly the shields went back up, and Luke lost the connection.

"We need to keep moving. It won't do us any good to stay in one place." Ari said walking again.

Luke noticed they were walking a little faster than before, no doubt trying to get this trip done as soon as possible. Nightfall came sooner than expected. Ari had found a suitable cave higher up in the canyon. The entrance was barely big enough for a human to fit through. A Krayt dragon would never get in. They opted to not put the tent up, since they were protected by the cave. Ari took post at the entrance of the cave, keeping watch like normal. Han promptly went to sleep. Luke decided to follow suit. He felt bad knowing Ari wouldn't wake them for watch, but he was tired and fighting to stay awake.

Ari's commlink beeped. She grabbed it and answered.

"Ari here."

"Ari, whe...re...o?" Static interrupted the call.

"Please repeat. I can't understand." She said nervously

Ari...t's...ang."

Ari stepped outside to get a better signal

"Fang, I need you to repeat. Signal was disrupted. Try again."

"Kreth! Can you hear me now?" Fang yelled over the link

"Yes, you don't have to yell. What's going on?"

"Just checking in on you. The Krayts are still blocking us in the city. Any luck contacting Dak?" he asked

"Yeah, he's following Jett and Viper. I tried to get him to go back, but he wouldn't listen."

"Typical. Everything ok on your end?"

"Yeah, we're about half way to the temple. We found a cave towards the top of the canyon. We're about as safe as you can get here."

"That's good. At leas you won't have to stay there long. Try to get some rest though. I know you didn't sleep the night before you left and I doubt you did last night." Fang said with concern in his voice.

"I'll be fine. You know me." Ari said with a chuckle

"That's the problem." Fang sighed. "Just don't get hurt. Fang out."

Ari walked back in the cave. Suddenly the hair on the back of her neck stood on end.

'Someone's watching us' she thought, her hand grabbing the hilt of her vibroblade. She looked around, listening to every little sound, watching for anything that moved. She searched with the Force, but nothing was revealed. She paced for a while then finally let herself relax. What ever was there had gone. For now anyways.

She tossed her vibroblade in her hand, absentmindedly.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Luke woke before Han the next morning. He looked around for Ari. She wasn't at the entrance to the cave. Panicking, he got up and stepped outside. Suddenly a hand covered his mouth before he could call for help. She turned and saw Ari was the one who covered his mouth.

"Shh." She said quietly and pointed to the canyon floor below.

Luke peaked down and saw a massive brown lizard like reptile. He had never seen a living Krayt dragon before, but knew they were huge. Fear shot through his head as the dragon raised its head and roared. The canyon seemed to shake as it walked through. Luke looked at Ari as the dragon walk around the corner, disappearing from view. She finally spoke.

"We're going to need to be quiet from here on out. This is the most dangerous part of the canyon. One mistake could cost you your life." She said seriously "I want to get moving soon."

Luke nodded and went to wake Han. He was still shaken up at seeing the size of the Krayt. He thought the Rancor in Jabba's palace was bad. He would hate to have to take this thing on.

"Han, wake up." Luke said just loud enough for Han to hear him.

"Not yet, Leia. It's too early." Han yawned and rolled over.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Han wake up. We need to move." Luke said with a little more force.

"Huh? I'm up." Han said groggily.

Luke sighed. 'Only a few more days of this.' he thought to himself.

Five minutes later, Luke and Han stepped out of the cave. Ari hadn't move from her earlier spot. She looked at them and nodded to the direction they were going. Luke noticed she seemed on edge, like a predator in enemy territory. He searched the area with the Force, and was surprised when he met another presence. He realized it to be Ari. She was like a bright star in the Force. His mind brushed against her's and she immediately tensed up. She looked around and then made eye contact with Luke. Realizing it was him, she relaxed again.

"How is it you can shield yourself so well?" Luke asked quietly

"Uncle Kota trained me to hide my Force presence. He said it would attract unwanted attention. So I've kept my presence concealed. I've been doing it since I was three." She said not looking back at him. Luke could tell she was annoyed with his question.

"Just curious."

"Can't you do it?" she asked

"Of course, but since the Emperor was destroyed, I haven't had a reason to."

Ari said nothing more. Luke decided not to ask another question. Instead he turned to Han.

"Have you been able to contact Leia?"

"Yeah, she's worried about both of us." Han laughed "She want's us to contact her the moment we get off the planet."

Luke smiled. He could imagine Leia pacing along the great hallway in the new senate building.

"I told her we would be fine. But she doesn't believe me."

"I wonder why?" Luke smirked

"Shh!" Ari said turning to face them, anger evident on her face.

When she turned around Han rolled his eyes. Luke elbowed him in the ribs. Han almost said something when something roared.

Ari looked at them and pointed up. Above them was a cave, about the same size as the one the stayed in the night before. Luke and Han started to climb the wall and Ari followed. As they squeezed into the cave, another dragon wandered past. It stopped right in front of the cave. Han started sweating. Luke closed his eyes and tried to reach the dragon's mind through the Force. He was shocked to feel Ari's presence already doing just that. The Krayt shook its massive spiked head and continued on, dazed. Ari poked her head out and looked around. She stepped out and signaled for Han and Luke.

"That was close." Ari said sighing.

"Close? You call that close? That thing could have knocked the walls down and had us for a snack! That was more than just close!" Han said whispering as loud as he dared.

"It could have been a lot bigger, Solo. That one was a juvenile. An adult would not have left so easily." Ari growled.

Han said nothing in return. His eyes showed how irritated he was. Ari simply turned around and started walking. Luke followed with Han close behind.

At mid day, they turned a bend and stopped. In front of the trio was a massive temple built into the side of the canyon. It looked like it may have been grand once, but the sandstorms had weathered it down. Luke sensed a dark aura about the place. Something close to the dark side was inside there.

Ari stepped in first, followed by Luke and Han. They were in a large room with three different corridors branching off the main room.

"I've never explored the place before, so I'm no help to you guys at this point."

"I think we'll be able to find it." Luke said.

He reached out with the Force and searched for the crystal. He sensed something dark down the middle corridor.

"Follow me." Luke said walking towards the middle corridor.

Han followed with his pistol in his hands. Ari was last, vibroblade in her hands, ready for attack.

The corridor was black. Luke activated his lightsaber, giving the hall a green glow. The walls were covered in molds and cracks, paintings were chipped and faded. Ancient broken lamps lined the walls. There was a moldy smell that lingered in the air.

"Whew! This place smells worst than a wet Wookiee." Han commented

"It doesn't look like anything has been here in years." Luke said.

"That's a good sign kid. It means we're the only ones here." Han said lowering his pistol.

They continued down the hall for what seemed like forever, at least to Ari. The hair on her neck rose again. Her grip tightened on her vibroblade, making her knuckles turn white. At the end of the hall, was a circular room with a raised platform on the center. On the platform, was a purple crystal. Luke used the Force to grab the crystal and put it in a bag.

"Are we done then? I'm getting a bad feeling about this place." Ari said, her eyes alert.

"Yes. Once we get back to Yavin IV, we can destroy it." Luke replied

A low rumbling noise came up through the floor. Everything started shaking. A piece of the ceiling came crashing down on Luke's head, knocking him unconscious.

"Luke!" Han yelled, shaking his fallen friend.

"We need to get out of here. I bet the place was rigged to destroy itself if the crystal was taken." Ari said as the shaking grew more violent.

"I can not allow you to leave, Master." A droid's voice said.

Ari recognized that voice. It belonged to the one droid that called her master.

"PROXY? Is that you?" Ari asked shocked

"Why yes Master. Who else did you expect?" PROXY said as he walked towards them, giving the room a bluish hue.

"We need to get out of here. The temple's going to fall on us if we don't leave." She said walking towards PROXY.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that. My programming tells me the time to attack is now." He said as he activated his lightsaber.

Ari's eyes widen as she realized what PROXY was doing.

"What the hell is he talking about?" Han yelled hanging on to Luke.

"Get out of here, Han." She simply said moving her blade to her backhand. "I can handle PROXY. You get Luke out of here."

"But y."

"Just go!" Ari yelled

PROXY stepped in front of Han, blocking their only exit.

"Let them go, PROXY. It's me you're after." Ari said.

"Fine, but I assure you, you'll never see them again." PROXY said stepping aside.

Once Han disappeared with Luke, Ari focused her attention back to PROXY, who had assumed the form of a shadow guard. Having fought PROXY before, she knew what he was capable of. The only problem was, she had never beaten him before.

As PROXY rushed her, their blades met. She was glad to have her blade reinforced with cortosis alloy. He attacked again from a different angle, and again, his attack was blocked.

"Master, you must realize you have to attack me back, if you wish to live." PROXY said changing to a female Togruta.

Ari gritted her teeth and struck at PROXY, her form changing to a Juyo like style. After landing a blow on PROXY's leg, Ari used the Force to push him back towards the end of the hall.

"PROXY, I'm not the one you were programmed to kill. Galen has been dead for 17 years. I'm his daughter, Arienna." She said between breaths. "You know me. You're the one who taught me how to fight."

"Master, I didn't train you. Your master, Lord Vader, did." PROXY said as he changed into the dark lord.

'This is not working well.' Ari panicked

She lunged again, knowing Vader moved slowly. But this wasn't the real Darth Vader. PROXY moved faster than the dark lord, and struck Ari on her right shoulder. Backing off, Ari threw her blade at PROXY, hoping it would catch him off guard. But it didn't. Instead, he caught the blade and crushed it.

Ari swore in Huttese and quickly looked for another weapon. She saw Luke's lightsaber on the ground. 'He must have dropped it when he was hit.' Ari grabbed it quickly with the Force and ignited it. It was longer than Ari was used to. She had to grip it with two hands instead of one.

PROXY, now as Jedi Ari had never seen before, attacked her once again. He attacked much quicker than Vader. Ari was forced to back up into the room where the crystal was. The Temple was still shaking, but as she stepped within, the shaking grew worse. Parts of the ceiling were falling, and to make matters worse, she had been cornered.

"Master, I think I will finally fulfill my primary programming." PROXY said switching to a black-robed being, with black and red on its face with short horns on the top of its head. It wielded a double bladed red lightsaber. Ari gulped. Luke's lightsaber felt out of place in her hands. She took a deep breath, wincing as pain shot through her shoulder. She raised the lightsaber, and let muscle memory dictate her swings and blocks.

A piece of ceiling fell to Ari's right, making her lose her focus, allowing PROXY to strike at her unprotected side. Ari yelled as she struck the floor.

"You fought well Master, but in the end, I finally beat you." PROXY said changing back to his native form and taking a step back.

Ari struggled to stand up, clutching her side. She gritted her teeth and gripped the lightsaber once again.

"I won't give up. You won't beat me PROXY." She said, her brown eyes growing dark.

"Ah, that's the spirit Master." PROXY said.

As he lunged at Ari, she jumped up and brought her arms and legs close to her body and suddenly released a blast of Force energy, destroying parts of the temple.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Han had set Luke down on a rock in a hidden cave not far from the temple. He ran back out to go help Ari, but before he could re-enter the temple, a shock wave set him flying backwards. He got back to his feet and ran towards the temple entrance, but it was blocked by rubble.

"Ari! ARI!" he yelled.

No response came. Han tried to move some of the smaller rocks. His face turned white as he heard a deafening roar. He turned around looking for the source of the sound. He ran back to the cave where Luke was.

"Come on kid, wake up." Fear evident in Han's voice.

"What happened?" Luke groaned.

"The temple started to fall on us. You knocked out when a piece of the ceiling fell on your head." Han said

Another roar shook the walls of the cave. Han's face went pale again.

"Han, where's Ari?" Luke asked "And where's my lightsaber?"

"That droid, umm, uh, PROXY, showed up and started to fight her. She told me to get you out of there; she said she could handle the droid." Han said, helping Luke to his feet. "As for your lightsaber, I'm not sure where it is."

"You mean she's still in the temple! We need to go get her!" Luke said running towards the entrance.

"Luke wait, I think there is another Kra..." Han was interrupted by another roar, this time much closer.

Han raised his blaster ready to fire at the dragon and stepped in front of Luke.

'Don't miss.' Solo thought.

Han looked out into the canyon, waiting for the beast to show itself. Soon the footsteps became quieter and the roaring became distant.

"I think it's gone." Luke said "Let's go get Ari."

"I don't think we can, kid. I tried to get back in, but a massive shock wave caused the entrance to become blocked." Han said

"We need to try." Luke said. "Besides, maybe I can find my lightsaber."

Han sighed; glad he had his pistol still. He led Luke to where the temple was. Even more boulders blocked the entrance. Han watched as Luke closed his eyes and stretched out his hands. Using the Force, he began to move the boulders, one at a time. Suddenly, a blast of Force energy blasted most of the rocks away from the entrance. Han raised his blaster, just incase the crazy droid won the fight. Through the smoke, came a two headed silhouette. Focusing, Han realized it was Ari, helping the droid walk, one of its arms over her shoulder. She had cuts and bruises all over her face and hands. Her left hand looked like it was broken. Burn marks were evident on her shoulder and side. The droid had cracks in its metal plating.

"Ari!" Luke yelled, running to help the young girl.

"I'm...I'm fine." She said breathing hard.

"I though the droid was trying to kill you?" Han asked pointing his pistol at PROXY.

"He's was, but he mistook me for...somebody else." Ari explained. "He's harmless now." She smiled at PROXY.

"Please don't remind me, Master." The droid said hanging his head.

"Oh, I believe this is yours." Ari said handing Luke his lightsaber. "I'm glad you dropped it. I probably wouldn't have made it out of there without it."

"What happened to your vibroblade?" Luke asked putting the lightsaber back on his belt.

"PROXY decided to destroy it." She said as she helped PROXY to the ground. She winced as she moved her left hand.

"Here, let me see your hand." Luke said

Ari, looked at Luke for a brief second, a look of uneasiness crossed her face. But to Luke's surprise, she allowed him to examine it.

"Can you move your fingers?"

"A little." She said, showing him the extent of her hands movement. "It'll be fine, I've broken it before. I've got a medkit on my bike."

"At least let me numb it." Luke said as he closed his eyes.

Han knew Luke was using the Force to numb Ari's hand. He saw her squirm as she felt the effects of the numbing. When Luke was done, he sighed.

"Thanks." Ari said, wrapping her hand up with a piece of torn cloth.

"I'm sorry, Master. I don't know what happened." PROXY spoke, standing up

Han kept his pistol focused on the droid. He didn't trust it.

"Relax Han, he's not going to attack anybody. If he does, it's going to be me." Ari laughed, watching the former smugglers expression.

"I still don't trust it." He said lowering his gun.

Ari looked at the twin suns, then her wrist chrono.

"We need to get moving. It's going to get dark soon." She said "Do you still have the crystal?"

"Yes, it's right here." Luke said patting the black pouch hanging on his belt.

"Are you coming, PROXY?" she said looking at the droid

"I don't think I should, Master." PROXY said lowering his head

"Come on, you need to get away from here. Besides, you'd love to know what I've been up to." Ari said

PROXY looked back at Ari.

"Alright, Master, if you insist."

Han looked at Luke, hoping to catch a glimpse of what he thought about the situation. Luke noticed and shrugged his shoulders.

Ari started walking, with PROXY right behind her. Han noticed she seemed a little more on edge, no doubt because of the loss of her vibroblade. Instead, her hand was on a blaster pistol on her belt.

Han sighed. They were about an hour away from the temple, when they stopped for the night. He still didn't like the fact that the droid was with them. He saw how it was ready to attack Ari. He couldn't understand why she wanted it to come with them. At least it stayed away from him and Luke.

He had just talked to Leia. She was not happy about what happened to Luke and him. If it wasn't for the fact she had to be on Coruscant, she'd probably be there with him. He smiled. No matter what the situation was, Leia could make him smile. Luke noticed.

"What made you happy all of a sudden?" Luke asked, even though he knew

"Just thinking of Leia. She's not happy." Han said grinning

"Why? We're both fine." Luke said.

"Yeah, but try telling her that."

Han looked up as Ari walked over to them.

"What happened in there? I came back after you and a massive shock wave sent me flying back." Han asked as she sat down

"That was probably me." She said sheepishly "PROXY and I fought. He managed to destroy my vibroblade, so I used yours, Luke. After striking my shoulder and side, he backed me into a corner. I just let loose all the energy I had in me. One of the falling rocks crushed my hand."

"You used the Force Repulse? How?" Luke asked

"Like I told you before, Uncle Kota taught me how to use the Force." She said

"I know that but I doubt you learned it when you were six." Luke countered

"You're right, I didn't. Now if you would let me finish." Ari shot back, her voice icy once again. "He left me a journal that explained different force powers. Both Jedi and Sith."

"Sith! Why would he do that?" Han asked

"Because it was to warn me what I was possibly up against if I ever faced one. I've never had a real Jedi master, so this journal was to help me when he was gone." Ari said turning away.

Han glanced at Luke. He put his hand on Ari's shoulder. She shrugged it off and stood up.

"We need to leave early tomorrow. The earlier the better. Once we reach the cave with the bikes, we can head back to Mos Espa." She said as she walked away.

"Did we do something?" Han asked Luke

"No, I don't think she's talked about this stuff before. That's why she brought PROXY with us. It's a link to her past. She puts up a tough front, but she's hurting behind it." Luke looked to where Ari and PROXY were sitting. "Think about it. If you were in her situation, would you talk about it? Everyone in her family has been taken from her. Everyone except one, who she thought was gone."

Han thought about his own childhood. He didn't talk about it to anyone, even Leia. Chewie only knew parts of it, and even what he knew, it wasn't a lot.

"I guess you're right. She just seems...easily irritated." Han said

"No, she's afraid she will let her emotions slip. She's trained herself to conceal them. She has let the shield around her mind weaken." Luke paused. "Her lack of sleep isn't helping either."

"Speaking of which, we probably need to get some."

Luke nodded his head in agreement.

"PROXY, what happened to you? I thought your core programming was destroyed?" Ari asked PROXY

"I'm not sure, Master. I remember something telling me to come to this canyon, but I don't remember what it was. I do remember Jawas finding me an repairing me." PROXY said, putting his hand to his head. "After that, nothing. It's like part of my memory was wiped."

"Hm. Well when we get back home, I'll see about getting you fixed up." Ari said smiling. "I'm just glad to have you back."

"You should get some sleep, Master. I will keep watch for any danger."

"I'm fine." Ari protested

"But it will help your hand heal. I don't need to remind you that you can't fight one handed."

Ari sighed. That was one of the first lessons she learned from fighting him.

"Fine. But if something comes."

"I will alert you and the others."

Ari then found a spot to lean up against the cave wall and nodded off.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I apologize for the long wait. I had chapter 7 typed and set to upload, but I didn't like what I originally had happen, so I re typed the whole thing. I hope it was worth the wait.**

Chapter 7:

The suns had hot yet risen, when Ari woke to the beeping of her commlink.

"Ari here." She said quietly. Han and Luke had not yet woken up.

"Ari, we've got problems. Dak isn't responding to his commlink. He said he'd contact us when he stopped for the night, but he hasn't contacted us yet. Aurora is scared." Fang said, fear evident in his words

Ari swore in Huttese. "Can you get out of the city?"

"No, they're still blocking us in. The bad part is none of them are willing to fight."

"Great. First my hand, and now this." Ari said to herself.

"What happened to your hand?" Fang asked

"I broke my left hand. The temple was coming down and a piece of stone crushed it." Ari said, leaving out the details of the fight between PROXY and her.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just can't fight with it. And from the sounds of it, I'll need it if we cross paths with Jett and Viper."

"That's it. I'm breaking out of this blockade." Fang said, anger in his voice

"Fang don't! I don't need anyone else hurt or captured. Besides, I need you there to keep the others in line."

There was a pause. Ari knew Fang was not happy about the situation. He wanted to be there with her, but knew he had a responsibility to the gang.

"Fine." He growled "But if something happens to you, I'm coming after you."

Ari smiled at her friend's loyalty.

"Fang out."

Ari got up and walked towards the cave entrance. PROXY was still sitting there.

"Master, I thought you were sleeping." PROXY said standing up.

"I was. A friend contacted me with information about another friend."

"Oh, might I inquire about what you have been doing these past few years?" PROXY asked

Ari proceeded to tell him about Jacobi and about joining the swoop gang. When she was done, he shook his head.

"It seems in my absence, you have been busy, Master."

"You can say that. Now, my two enemies are coming for me, and they may have one of my friends. And I'm stuck here with a broken hand, in a dangerous canyon filled with Krayt dragons." She said shaking her head.

"I'm sure you'll find a way, Master. You are my old master's daughter. You are, in many ways, much like him." PROXY said

"Thanks PROXY. I hope I can get to him before any harm comes to him."

A moment of silence passed. Ari looked out into the sky. Thousands of stars dotted the sky. Some were bright, and some were dim. She sighed and went back inside the cave to sleep.

It was still dark when Ari woke. She looked around, making sure Han and Luke were still asleep. Han was snoring but Luke wasn't there. She search with the Force and found him outside with PROXY. She stood up, wincing as she bumped her hand, and walked outside. Luke looked up at her.

"I'm surprised you actually slept." He said

"It's not worth it to argue with PROXY." Ari sighed. "Is Han always the last one to wake up?"

"It depends. He won't say this, but I know he's missing Leia."

"Leia?" Ari asked

"Han's wife and my twin sister."

"Oh, I didn't know that."

"Wait, the same Leia who was present when the Rebellion was officially formed? I thought she was senator Organa's daughter." PROXY said

"Yes, but it's a long story." Luke said.

Ari didn't push the subject. She knew how she felt about being asked about her past.

"We need to get moving. The sooner we're out of here, the better off we'll be." Ari said.

"Right. I'll wake Han." Luke said turning to go get Han

Ari nodded and checked her hand. It still hurt, and the numbing effect was wearing off. She focused with the Force and numbed it. It wasn't as good as when Luke did it, but it would have to work.

"Are your sensors still working?" Ari asked PROXY.

"Everything is functional except my primary programming."

"Good. Since it's still dark out, I want to be extra careful."

"Well let's get moving then." Han said stepping outside. Luke was standing behind him.

"Same rules as before, keep quiet and stick together."

When one of the twin suns rose, they were almost back to the entrance of the canyon. Ari gave a sigh of relief. They had not encountered any more Krayt dragons on the way back. She led Luke and Han into the cave where the bikes were stored. She grabbed her medkit and wrapped her injured hand.

"PROXY, you'll ride with me." Ari said

"Fine with me." Han muttered.

As soon as PROXY was on the bike, they took off. Luke and Han were beside Ari this time, in case she needed help. Ari suddenly stopped. Han and Luke swerved around to help her.

"Everything ok?" Luke asked

"No, we're being followed." Ari growled.

She looked towards her right. Luke and Han followed her line of sight, but didn't see anything. Ari reached for her pistol. Han did the same while Luke activated his lightsaber. PROXY activated his as well. Ari noticed Luke shock as he watched PROXY.

"It's Jett and Viper." She said "They're unsure of weather to attack or not."

"How can you tell?" Han asked

"They're hiding behind one of the dunes. My team is the only group that knows about my Force powers, so they don't know to shield their thoughts." Ari grinned "They're not going to attack. Instead Jett wants to pull something during the big race."

"Big race? I'm assuming it's a Pod race." Luke said lowering his lightsaber.

"No, it's a big swoop race. Pod racing hasn't been held here in years." Ari explained.

"Master, I believe we need to keep moving." PROXY interrupted

"Oh, right. They've left, so we should get back safely." Ari said as she mounted her bike.

Heading off once more, they rode off into the sand. Ari focused on Jett and Viper, trying to see if they had Dak. But his name crossed either of their minds. She worried even more now. Sand people may have gotten to him. She panicked and made her bike go faster. The sooner they were home, the sooner she could go look for him.

Night time brought them with in three hours of Mos Espa. She would have kept going, but she was exhausted. She hadn't gone this long with out a full nights sleep before. And she needed to tend to her hand.

"We should reach the city by mid morning tomorrow." Ari said as Luke and Han finished eating.

"Good, then we can leave this rock." Han muttered

"Hey I grew up on this rock. It's not much, but it was home." Luke said offended

"You grew up here?" Ari asked surprised

"Yes, my aunt and uncle raised me. I lived on a moisture farm outside of Mos Eisley."

"Wow, I didn't know that. It seems like there are many surprises in the sands here." Ari said

"It would seem so, Master, but I remind you; you were not born here." PROXY said.

"Yeah, I know that. I remember Kashyyyk, kinda."

A moment of silence passed between the group. Ari looked up at the sky, Han stared into the fire, Luke closed his eyes and PROXY was adjusting a loose wire on his arm. The beeping of Ari's commlink broke the silence. She stood up and walked a few feet away.

"Ari here."

"Ari, we've gotten past the blockade. Christophe found a hole in the line. Are you close to home?" Fang asked

"We're about three hours away, so we should be there about mid morning. Do the Krayts know you found a way out?"

"At this point, probably. We haven't been in town since 2000 hours."

"Where are you at?"

"Up at the track." Fang paused "Got to go, we were going to go after you, but you're only three hours away. No sign of Dak yet."

"Jett and Viper don't have him. They were close enough earlier, I could sense their thoughts."

"Alright. I'll send two of the guys out to look for him. Fang out."

Ari was worried. It wasn't like Dak to get lost. '_What if Sand People got to him_?' she thought. She turned and walked back to where the others were sitting. She noticed PROXY had left, figuring he was patrolling the area.

"Is everything okay?" Luke asked

"Kinda. One of my friends is still missing. We're sending scouts out to find him."

"I'm sure they'll find him." Han said.

"I know they will. We've done this before." Ari sighed

"How early do you want to leave tomorrow morning?" Luke asked

"It's a three hour ride, so preferable before the suns rise."

"Then we should get some sleep. I think we've had a very eventful past few days." Han said as he stood up. "Night."

"You should probably get some sleep too." Luke suggested

"I'm fine." She said. "When do you guys leave tomorrow?"

"Probably once we get back. I need to get to Yavin IV and Han wants to go back to Corasaunt. What are you going to do?"

"I've got to get ready for the swoop race. It's a two day event. And as a leader of one of the hosting teams, I have to be present at all events, meetings, and awards." Ari sighed

"Is that a bad thing?"

"More of a nuisance than a problem. The leaders of each team are expected to dress nicely on the first day, since we don't race. It's all the formality stuff. Most of us are just here to race."

"Are you good?"

Ari shrugged her shoulders. "I'm ok. I'm not the best, but not the worst." Ari was lying; she was second best on the team. Christophe was only one who could beat her. But her mother and Kota had taught her to be sincere about these types of things.

"I'm assuming you're leaving tomorrow?" Ari asked. In the short time she had gotten to know Luke, she trusted him. She didn't know why, but she just did. She was sad he had to leave. He could have showed her more advanced force techniques. Kota's journal only covered a little more than the basics, but it wasn't enough for her to be a real Jedi knight.

"Yes. Han and I have other duties to take care of. Why?"

"Just asking."

Luke and Ari sat in silence for a while. Ari watched as PROXY walked around the camp, making sure nothing was going to attack them.

"You don't plan on staying here forever, do you?" Luke suddenly asked.

"No, but I'm not sure what to do when I do leave this rock." Ari sighed.

"What about becoming a Jedi?" Luke asked

"I've thought about it. I wasn't sure how to go about doing it. When my mother told me about my father being a Jedi, I wanted to be one too. Piloting was ok, but being a Jedi sounded, I'm not sure how to explain it. It's like it clicked in my brain, 'That's what I'm going to be.' I don't know how to explain it any other way." She explained.

"Then come with us tomorrow. Come train at the Praxium on Yavin IV."

"I can't leave. Not yet anyways. If I left tomorrow, the team wouldn't be allowed to race in the Mos Espa Challenge. The only way they get in is if I'm there. All files and information are under my name for this race. And I would have to stay long enough to see a stable change of power to my successor. A power vacuum could destroy the team." Ari sighed.

"About how long would all of this take?"

"About two weeks." The race is this weekend and it takes about a week to decide the new leader."

"The lets' make a deal. I'll come back in two weeks and you come finish your Jedi training."

Ari was excited. She could finish her training as a Jedi and get off this rock. A random thought crossed her mind.

"Why are you doing this?" I don't mean to sound bad, but why do you want to help me?" Ari asked

"I was talking with PROXY. He said you are very much like your father when it comes to using the force. I can see that. And considering who your parents were, you shouldn't be living this kind of life. I'd hate to see this kind of potential unused." Luke sighed. "I grew up here too. In almost the same scenario as you. I was given a chance to be a Jedi and I hesitated at first, but I eventually took that chance. Now it's my turn to help someone else out." With that Luke got up and went to bed, leaving Ari alone with her thoughts.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: sorry for the long wait. School has been hectic and basketball has started. I hope this keeps you guys happy for a little while._

Chapter 8:

"PROXY, can I ask you something?" Ari asked. PROXY had just returned from patrolling.

"Of course, Master."

"Am I like my father? I mean, am I as strong in the Force as he was?"

"Of course Master. I might not be able to sense your power, but I know it's there. General Kota said the same thing. Even your mother knew and she wasn't a Force sensitive. Why do you ask?"

"Luke offered to finish my training as a Jedi. I guess I never thought I was _that_ strong in the Force. I knew I could do things Uncle Kota couldn't, but I thought it was because he was blind."

"No, you show as much control over the Force as your father did, perhaps even more." PROXY added

"More control? How? I'm not even a Jedi yet! How can a 16 years old girl who hasn't had any formal training as a Jedi have more control over the Force than someone who has? It doesn't make sense." Ari said amazed. "I mean, yeah, my Father was trained by a Sith Lord, but still. I can't be anything special. I'm just a swoop gang leader on a backwater planet with Force powers. Some of which, I can't even control." She sighed at the last statement.

"What abilities are you having trouble with?" PROXY asked

Ari lowered her head. "The dark side powers. Sith lightning especially." She quietly said.

"Hmm. I find that interesting. Your Father was a master of lightning."

"That's the problem! It feels so natural. Jedi aren't supposed to be able to do that, let alone having it feel natural!" Ari exclaimed

"But that's not the problem is it." Came Luke's voice

Ari turned around a saw him stepping out of the tent.

"I'm sorry if we woke you." Ari quickly said.

"I wasn't asleep yet. Your scared that because your abilities are so natural, it makes you a bad person." Luke said

"Yes and no. I'm scared that having them will cause me to fall to the dark side." Ari hung her head. "I want to make my parents proud of me. I want to do good, but I'm afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Luke asked

"Every time I lose my temper, that's when the lightning forms around my arms. It starts at my hands and move up my arms. I don't want to follow the same path my Father started out on." Ari had put her head in her hands. Her emotions were running amuck in her mind. She was struggling to keep her mental shield strong, but with everything happening in her mind, it was a struggle. She was just happy none of her teammates were here to see her like this.

She felt a soothing presence enter her mind. It wasn't Luke. But it was a familiar presence, but she didn't know who it was. She lifted her head up. Luke was gone. PROXY had also disappeared. She looked at her wrist chrono. It was the middle of the night. She must have fallen asleep while she was thinking. Reaching out with the Force, she searched for Luke and PROXY. Luke was in the tent sleeping. PROXY was out patrolling again. She looked around and didn't see anything. Just the dark shadows of dunes.

Ari stood up and flexed her left hand. She found that it was just fractured, not broken as she originally thought. It still hurt like hell though. But she was used to pain. It had always followed her. Both emotional and physical. Pain in losing her mother. Pain in finding out her father's fate. Pain in Kota's death. Pain when ever PROXY landed a blow on her when they had sparred. It was normal to feel pain, normal for her at least. She always had a high tolerance of it. She smiled at the memory that came to mind.

She was five and Kota had just showed her how to use a lightsaber. She was excited. When Kota told her about her father being a Jedi, she wanted to become one too. She was practicing with a training remote when she tripped over her own feet. She didn't feel any pain, so she continued with her training. Later that day, PROXY noticed she had a gash on her right arm. Kota asked her if it hurt and she said she didn't notice it. She had to have gotten it when she fell earlier. Little incidents like that happened often. She would do something and not realize it until the scratch or bruise would almost be healed. Ari wondered which parent that trait came from.

"It came from both of us."

Ari jumped up and looked around. There was nothing there. But that voice had to come from somewhere. She knew she had heard that voice before, but where? She looked around again. Her hand grabbed for the pistol at her belt as she saw a blue shimmery male figure standing a few feet behind her.

"Who are you?" Ari asked. Her voice was stern and icy.

"Arienna, you know who I am." The figure said

Ari studied the man's face. He looked to be in his mid to late twenties. His face showed many scars and he looked weathered, like he had seen more things than a normal person sees in one life time. He had short brown hair, not much more than stubble. He was dressed in a set of black and grey-white robes. A lightsaber hung on his belt. She searched her memory for something that told her who this man was. When she couldn't find anything, she spoke.

"I've never seen you before. I'll ask again, who are you and how do you know my name?" Her grip tightened on her pistol, readying to fire if he posed a threat.

The man chuckled and shook his head. "Just like your mother." He said

Ari lessened her grip a tad the tightened again. This man knew her mother, but she still didn't know who he was. "How do you know my mother?" her voice was laced with venom now.

The man sagged a little. A look of pain crossed his face. "She was my pilot. She took me to the planets my missions took me to. She stuck with me to the very end; even after she found out I was still working for Vader." The man looked back up at Ari. His brown eyes showed great sadness.

Ari stood speechless. She knew who this man was. There was only one person her mother piloted across the galaxy.

"Father." Ari's voice was barely a whisper. She lowered her pistol. "But how? Mother said you died before I was born. You died fighting the Emperor."

Galen half smiled "My conscience has been retained by the Force. I'm like a ghost."

"So, you can appear when you want to?" Ari had leaned against her bike at this point. Galen was leaning against Han's.

"No. The Force allows me to appear at certain times. This is only the second time I've appeared to anyone."

"When was the first time?"

Galen smiled. "The day you were born. I could sense that your mother was in great pain. I didn't know what was causing it. When I found her, she was in labor. I was with her for as long as the Force allowed."

Ari looked up at her father. "How long?"

Galen looked back at his daughter. "I was the one named you. When I saw you, I thought you were the most beautiful being. After you were taken away to get cleaned up, I talked with your mother for a little bit. Then I had to return to the Force."

Ari was trying hard not to cry. She had always heard about her father from Kota and PROXY, but to be able to talk to him and see him was something she only dreamed of. "Why have you appeared this time?"

"I could sense your pain. Your conflict. And you were thinking about me a lot."

"Yes, I was. Luke has been asking me about my past. And now that PROXY is back, memories have been popping into my head. I can't ignore them any longer. I've spent the past four years pushing them from my mind. Now with the offer Luke has given me, I don't know what to do."

"What offer? And who is Luke?" Galen asked raising his eyebrow.

"Luke Skywalker is a Jedi Master. He was the one who destroyed the first Death Star and redeemed his father. He's Darth Vader's son. He offered to take me back to Yavin IV and finish my training as a Jedi."

"Then why are you questioning on accepting his offer?"

"Because of what I can do." Ari paused. "Because of my dark side powers."

Galen sighed. "Just because they are considered dark side powers it doesn't mean they can't be used for good. It all depends on how you use that power. I'm sure Luke has already told you this."

"Yeah, but I figured he was being nice."

"You are not and will not be a bad person. Just because I had a rough beginning, that doesn't mean you will. I was trained by a Sith Lord. You were trained by a Jedi Master. That's the difference. And you have that natural sense of telling right from wrong like your mother."

"Alright, alright, I get it. I'll go. I just hope I can keep my anger in check."

"I'm sure you'll be fine." Galen looked at his daughter once more, his eyes showed great joy and sadness. "I'm afraid I need to go." His figure started to fade.

"Father no! You can't leave yet. I...I." Ari voice choked.

Galen smiled. "No matter what, I'll always be with you through the Force. And don't ever forget that I love you, Arienna Marek." And with that Galen disappeared.

"Father!" Ari sobbed. Her eyes were filled with tears. Her shoulders slumped, and she stared at the spot her father had been sitting a few seconds ago. Clanking noises behind her made her jump up and grab her pistol.

She used the Force to sense what was making that noise. She could sense Han and Luke, who were still sleeping, a herd of dewback's towards the east. But what was towards the north was what made Ari tense up. She could sense a group of sand people and among them was an unconscious being.

"Ah Master, I see that you are awake. Are you feeling better?" PROXY walked up behind Ari.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm better. PROXY did you come across a group of sand people? I think my missing friend is with them." Ari said. "I need to go and get him."

"I'm coming with you, Master. Things could get, violent." PROXY almost seemed excited.

Ari smiled in response. "We go in and get my friend. The less casualties, the better. I don't want to kill anything we don't have to."

"Alright Master."

"Let's go." Ari sat on her bike and her and PROXY went towards the sand people camp.

5


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

Ari peeked over a dune. There was just enough light from the fires in the sand people camp for her and PROXY to count how many were on patrol. She could only see three, but the Force told her there were at least 6 awake. There were none in the tent where Dak was.

"I think we can get Dak without having to attack them." Ari whispered. He's in one of the tents on the perimeter. Nobody is in there with him."

PROXY made a noise that resembled a sigh. Ari shook her head and smiled at the droid. PROXY was the same as Ari remembered.

Quickly, but quietly, Ari stalked closer to the sand people's camp. She had her blaster ready in her right had, while PROXY had a lightsaber in his. They crept up to the rear of the tent where Dak was being held. Ari was using the Force to conceal herself and PROXY as they took some of the stakes holding the tent down. As she snuck under the flap, she was struck with horror.

A bloody, unconscious mass was lying in front of her. Black hair was caked in dried blood. Cuts and bruised covered the man's arms and face. There was a nasty gash along the left side of his face, going from his eyebrow to the bottom of his chin. His clothes were torn up and barely anything more than rags covering his slight frame. Had Ari not known better, she would not have recognized Dak Theros.

Pulling out her knife, Ari cut the rope binding Dak's wrists and ankles. Dak groans and Ari freezes. She turns her head in the sand people are sitting. None of them seem to notice the noise.

"Master, we must hurry." PROXY whispered through the tent.

"Almost ready." Was her response.

She had Dak sit up and brought one of his long arms around her neck in an effort to stand him up. The biggest problem would be to get out of the tent without any one knowing Ari and PROXY were there.

"PROXY, hold up the flap." Ari, with Dak on her side, ducked under the flap and made a break for the dunes. Once they were safely hidden, Ari tried to wake Dak.

"Dak, wake up. Come on Dak, you have to wake up." Ari said shaking his shoulder. After he didn't respond, she used the Force to scan for internal injuries. None were found. The biggest injuries were a nasty bump on the back of his head and the gash on his face.

"Oh, Dak. How is it you always end up in these situations?" Ari said to herself.

"That's my talent, boss." Said a weak voice.

Ari looked down and saw Dak was awake. He was smiling at her; his grey eyes had a sparkle in them. Ari recognized that sparkle meant Dak was going to be fine.

"Don't do that again. I swear, you're going to make Aurora go crazy." Ari said in a serious tone.

"Yeah, _only_ Aurora is worried about me." Dak had a smirk on his face.

"The team needs you too. You're our best mechanic." Ari replied, know what Dak was getting at. Ari liked Dak as a friend and nothing more. But Dak wasn't convinced.

Dak just laid his head back down and closed his eyes.

"Master, how are we going to get him to safety?" PROXY asked. Ari forgot that the droid was sitting right beside her.

"I'm calling Christophe. He has the fastest speeder and can get here and pick him up. Besides, I don't have the medical supplies back at camp to help him." She pulled out her commlink. She typed a code in and an angry voice responded in Huttese.

"I'm sorry Christophe, but I need your help. I've found Dak and he's hurt pretty badly. I need you to come and take him to the medical center. I'm transmitting our location now."

"Got it. I'm on my way." Came the response. "Christophe out."

Ari gave a sigh of relief. She knew Christophe would be there soon. He had the fastest speeder car of the whole team. And she knew he would be heavily armed, just in case sand people tried to attack him. He had lost most of his family to sand people attacks, so he knew how to arm himself.

"Now what, Master?" the droid asked

"All we can do is wait. I'm not leaving Dak here alone. Hopefully, we'll be back at camp before Luke and Han are awake and notice we're gone."

PROXY just nodded his head and stood on watch. At any moment, the sand people could notice that their prisoner was missing and would go looking for him. Ari was hoping Dak would be long gone before they found them. Ari's left hand was still hurt and her blaster was her only defense. She wasn't sure how well PROXY was functioning after the temple came down on them. Sure he could fight one-on-one, but she didn't want to have him up against multiple opponents.

"PROXY, I've made a decision. I'm going with Luke. I'm going to finish my Jedi training." Ari suddenly said.

"That's wonderful, Master. But What are you going to do with me? I'm not fully functional anymore. I'm not of much use."

"PROXY, don't talk like that. I'm taking you with me. Once we get back to Mos Espa, I'll see if we have any spare parts in the shop. I'll fix you up the best I can here, and hopefully, they can fully repair you on Yavin IV. And I'm going to permanently delete your primary programming. I don't know how my father survived with you trying to kill him all the time." Ari smiled, shaking her head.

An hour later, Ari saw two lights in the distance. Reaching out with the Force, she could sense Christophe. He was a little anxious, but otherwise unharmed. A minute later, the grey and black speeder car stopped in front of Ari and PROXY. A young blue skinned Twi'lek hopped out.

"So, how did he get hurt?" Christophe asked, helping Ari pick Dak up.

"Sand people. I don't know when he was captured, but he took a nasty beating." She replied.

"Thank the Maker you found him. Aurora has worried herself sick." Once Dak was safely strapped in the back seat, Christophe hopped back in the car. "Are you coming, boss?" He asked

Ari shook her head. "No, I need to bring two guys back to Mos Espa. I can't leave them here alone. They don't know the way back."

Christophe nodded. "Right. I'll see you back at the shop tomorrow then." And Christophe drove off.

Ari sighed. Dak was safe, PROXY was back, they were close to home, and she was going to finish her Jedi training. For the first time in years, Ari was happy and relaxed. Everything seemed to be going as planned.

"Shall we head back then Master? It is close to morning."

Ari looked to the east. Sure enough, the faint rays of the first sun were peaking over the horizon. Ari, followed by PROXY, started to walk back to camp, where Luke and Han were, hopefully, still sleeping.

When Ari and PROXY arrived back at camp, they were met by two very angry men. Luke was sitting on his bike while Han was taking the tent down. Luke had an irritated scowl on his face.

"Where were you?" Luke asked his voice was flat.

"I had to rescue my friend for Sand people. He was badly injured, so I had to have one of the Riders come and get him." Ari stayed calm, but anger was rising up inside of her.

"It would have been nice to know where you were." Han said.

"I don't need to tell anyone where I'm going or what I'm doing. Besides, I had PROXY with me. Nothing bad was going to happen." Ari voice had venom in it. She was not happy with the way Luke and Han were treating her. She had been on her own since she was 13. Being a month away from 17, who had the right to tell her what she can and can't do?

"We were just worried, that's all. Since you keep your presence hidden with the Force, I can't tell if you were hurt or not." Luke's expression had softened a bit.

"I'm fine. I can take care of myself. I've been doing it since I was six." Ari relaxed a little. She realized Luke was truly concerned with her safety.

"Well, if you two are done, I personally would like to get going." Han said, annoyed.

Ari nodded and hopped on her bike. PROXY was already seated and once Luke and Han were ready, they took off into the desert one last time.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Thank you to all you have reviewed and favorite the story. But this doesn't mean I'm almost done with the story. Ari still has more adventures to take._

Chapter 10:

Mos Espa appeared in the distance as the second sun rose. Ari was anxious. The big Swoop race was in two days! But it made her sad at the same time. After the race, she would let the team know of her resignation. She would stick around long enough to see the power shift over to the new leader, say her good byes and leave the planet. She cringed at the thought of saying good bye to Fang, Dak and Aurora. The four of them were good friends, even when they were with the Black Krayts. Fang had been the first person she had completely trusted since Jacobi's death. Aurora was someone Ari could talk to about girl things, and Dak, well, Dak was just a good friend.

Ari had stopped once they were in front on _The Drunken Dragon_. She hopped off her bike and walked over to Luke.

"What did you decide?" He asked

"I'm going to complete my training, but under one condition. I stay here until the swoop race is over and a new leader is decided for the Rogue Riders." Ari said.

Luke just smiled. "I think that will be acceptable. How long will the change of power take?"

Ari thought for a moment. Most changes of power took weeks to complete, but, under most circumstances, the former leader had died. Since Ari wasn't planning on dying anytime soon, the process should be much quicker. "About three days. And the race is in two days, so, it'll be about a week before I can leave."

Luke thought for a second and replied "Fine, I shall return in a week. Until then, Han and I must return home." Luke bowed and then handed Ari a small pouch. "Payment for your services."

"Thanks." Ari bowed back. She remembered Kota's teachings on the ways of the Jedi. If she was truly going to become one, she should start acting like one.

Han walked up to Ari next. "Well kid, I guess I'll be seeing you around. Take care of yourself and don't let the droid kill you." Han extended his hand.

Ari shook it and said "PROXY won't kill me. His primary programming has been damaged. Besides, that's the first thing I'm going to fix."

With that Han and Luke left, leaving Ari and a deactivated PROXY outside the cantina. Ari sighed and weighted the pouch Luke gave her in her hand. There had to be at least 200 credits in the pouch. That was enough to buy a nice swoop bike! Or parts to restore 3 old ones. She hooked the bikes Han and Luke had used to hers and took off through the city. She stopped when she reached the shop the Rogue Riders called their base. She walked in and was engulfed in a sea of red, sand filled fur.

"Thank the Maker, you made it. We were afraid that we wouldn't be able to compete in the race!" Fang said. He released Ari who was gasping for air.

"Thanks…Fang. I…missed…you…too." She braced herself on the door way and caught her breath. "Did Christophe make it back ok?"

"Yeah. Dak's going to be ok. Doc said the blood made the wounds look worse. He should be fine for the race." Fang said

Behind Fang, a young woman walked out. She had snow white hair, a slight frame, and bright sapphire eyes.

"Thank you so much, Ari. I don't know what I'd do without my little brother. I am forever in your debt." Her voice was soft and welcoming. She walked over to Ari and hugged her.

"Its fine, Aurora. You two have already done a lot to help me out." Ari smiled and hugged back.

In truth, they had done a lot for Ari over the past year and a half. When Jacobi died, she had no place to stay, so Aurora and Dak took her in. Fang was already living with them at the time.

"Ari, we consider you family. You and Fang." Aurora said as Fang tried to walk away, but Aurora hugged him too.

When Aurora released them, Ari composed herself. "We need to get ready for the races. Is the hauler set?" She turned to Fang

"Almost. Other than Dak's tools and obviously the racers, it's set." Fang said

"Good. I have the leaders meeting tomorrow night. That's when we'll get the list of who goes when."

"If you're done with me, I'm heading out back. We're working on perfecting our bikes. It's kinda tough without Dak here to help." Fang said edging towards the back door.

"I'm coming too. _Black Shadow_ needs a little work before the race. I need to take something to the back room though. " She said, referring to her own swoop bike.

She walked outside and was taking PROXY to the back room where she first talked to Luke. Once he was safely secured, she walked out and followed Fang out the back door. They stepped outside into a large garage filled with swoop bikes and beings working on them. Loud music was playing, there was filth and grease everywhere. Rags were sticking out of back pockets, just as dirty as the hands that used them. A green Rodian looked up as Fang and Ari entered.

[Hey, Boss is back] he said waving a hand and speaking in Rodese.

"Hey, Chutta. Everything going ok?" Ari asked, inspecting his green and dark purple swoop bike.

[She's in perfect working condition. I'm just cleaning the repulsor.] Chutta said wiping his hands on a rag.

"Good. How about you, Talia?" Ari asked a Duro.

"Fine, just doing diagnostics." She replied without looking away from the beige and red bike.

Ari continued asking her teammates about their bikes. She had been gone almost a week, and before the first swoop race of the season. She needed to make sure everyone was fine and that the bikes were in perfect working condition. Finally, she came to her work area. A flat black swoop bike sat in the center. On the hood, was the Rogue Riders emblem, a teal Phoenix insignia. She shoved a rag in her back pocket, took off her outer tunic, leaving her in a short sleeved version, and started to inspect her bike. She got on her back and slid under her bike.

Three hours later, she got out from under her bike and walked to the front of the shop. Fang was sitting in the chair talking to a customer. She slipped to the back room and switched PROXY on.

"Master, I'd appreciate it if you didn't deactivate me again. I don't like not knowing what is going on. What if you need me for a fight?" the droid said standing up, looking for something

"I took your lightsaber. I didn't want something to happen to it. Besides, I said I'd fix you up right? I intend to keep my promise." Ari said pulling open PROXY's access panel.

"If you intend to repair me, shouldn't you do this in your workshop?"

"This is my workshop. Well, it's the only place I can get any privacy."

Ari walked over to her desk and grabbed her datapad. She made a list of the parts she needed. She started stroking her left hand and realized it was still injured.

"Master, are you going to repair your hand? I'm sure there is somebody on this planet that can repair it." PROXY said, watching her every move.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I don't think it's broken, just fractured. I can move it, so I know it's not broken. I can feel the spot where it's fractured. I'll but a wrap on it later. There are more important things to worry about now." She said, inattentively. Her face turned into a frown as her rubbed the spot where it was fractured.

"Master, we are going to repair your hand now." PROXY grabbed the medkit sitting on the desk and pulled out a bacta wrap. He wrapped it around Ari's hand, much to her displeasure. She winced as PROXY tightened the wrap.

"There, it's should hold for awhile."

"Thanks." Ari muttered

She walked over to a cabinet and opened the doors. An avalanche of parts fell out, creating a sea of junk on the floor.

[Well, I guess you need to clean your office out.] Chutta laughed, walking into the office.

"Aren't you the funny guy?" Ari frostily said. "What do you need?"

Chutta gulped. They knew when Ari was not to be disturbed. She knew they were uneasy because of her Force powers. [Aurora had lunch ready. And that Dak is being released later today.]

Ari relaxed when she realized Chutta was terrified.

"Relax Chutta; I'm not going to use my Force powers. I didn't expect my office to suddenly become covered in junk. Tell Aurora I'll be out in a minute. I want to finish up fixing what I can on PROXY." She gestured to the droid.

[Ah, so this is the famous PROXY. I'm glad to make your acquaintance. I am Chutta Hobar.] The Rodian extended his grimy hand to shake PROXY's mechanical one.

"A...pleasure to meet you, Chutta."

To Ari's surprise, he shook Chutta's hand. Once Chutta left, she spoke to the droid.

"Wow, I figured you wouldn't acknowledge him. Something major must have been reprogrammed. I'll have to leave that alone." Sarcasm was evident in her voice.

"I would appreciate if that was the first thing you fixed. And you've told other beings about me?"

"Yes. There were some people who saw you leave. It was kinda noticeable."

"I apologize, Master. I do not know what came over me. I don't know what happened."

Ari just smiled and got to work. She deactivated PROXY and started to remove the plating protecting is inner wires and circuits. She took out the wires that started to corrode, replacing them as she went. Next she replaced the plating. Luckily she had lots of scrap pieces of Mandalorian iron, one of the few materials that could with stand a blow from a lightsaber. Finally, she removed his memory core. She attached it to her datapad and started the long and strenuous process of reprogramming the droid.

Ari looked up when she heard a sharp knock on her door. She placed the datapad and memory core on the desk and answered the door. On the other side of the door was Fang. He had a tray of food in his hands.

"I said I'd be out when I was done with PROXY." Ari said confused

"Ari that was an hour and a half ago. You've been in here for a while." He put the tray on her desk.

"Thanks. I didn't realized I been in here that long."

"What have you been doing this whole time? I doubt replacing a few parts was that hard." Fang questioned.

"I was reprogramming PROXY. I needed to erase his primary programming."

"Why? And how did you find him? I thought he had disappeared into the desert." He cocked his head.

"He ambushed us in the temple. That's when I broke my hand. His primary programming was to try to kill my father. But something happened and he thought I was my father. So he tried to kill me. I used the Force and part of the temple came down on us. I couldn't leave him there. I brought him back with me. I was working on erasing that programming and replace it with a new one."

Fang was silent. Ari could see he was thinking about what she had told him. Fang was like her big brother, he was very protective of her. It was a Razor trait to be protective of their friends.

"Are you sure you changed the programming?" He finally said.

"Yes. I'm trying to think of what to replace that programming with."

"You're not telling me something. Something big."

Ari gulped. Razors could also tell when something was up. She didn't plan on telling the team of her resignation until after the race. But Fang wouldn't let her go until she told him what the big something was.

"I'm going to make an announcement after the race." Ari said quickly

"Fine." He huffed. "I've got to go back to the garage. I'm kinda replacing Dak right now."

"I'll be out in a little bit. I want to finish the reprogramming."

Fang nodded and walked out. Ari sat back down at her desk. She grabbed the datapad and continued her earlier work.

6


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Ari was stumped. It wasn't easy for her to come up with a primary programming for PROXY. She sat in her chair and rested her head in her hands. There were quite a few options. Bodyguard, sentry, assassin. None of them fit. Finally an idea hit her. Picking up her datapad, she resumed her work.

Another hour later, Ari was putting PROXY back together. She had found the perfect programming for PROXY. She was excited to try it out. AS she put the final piece of plating on, PROXY's eyes glowed.

"Ah, I feel so much better." PROXY said and 'stretched'.

"That's a good sign. Now, I want you to state your primary programming." Ari said, crossing her arms, and studying the droid.

"Primary Programming: assist the Master in any Jedi business and help her practice lightsaber training and assist in any confrontations." PROXY stated.

Ari smiled. PROXY could still have the freedom he was used to, but he wouldn't be killing anything. Unless of course Ari told him to. But her biggest joy though, was having her fried back. She wiped her greasy hands on a grimy rag and stepped back. PROXY was still in need of repairs. Mainly to his plating but, the important parts were fixed.

"Well, that's the best I can do. Until I can get better parts, this will have to do." Ari smiled

"Now, are you going to introduce me to your team?" PROXY asked

"Yeah, we're having a team dinner tonight. This will be the last one before the race." Ari sighed. She realized this would be one of the last ones before she left Tatooine.

A knock on the door interrupted Ari's train of thought.

"Come in."

The door opened to reveal a tall, blond haired human. He was very muscular with emerald green eyes. He had a very dark tan. He looked to be about 20 in age.

"Hey boss, I wanted to remind you about the meeting tomorrow. I saw one of the officials and he told me to remind you about the leaders meeting." The guy said. His voice was shaky, like he was scared of Ari.

"Thanks, Neku. I didn't forget." Ari smiled. Neku was one of the newest members to the Rogue Riders. He was always a little shy when he joined but when he found out about Ari's Force abilities, he tried to avoid her, even though Ari had never done or said anything to him, that was threatening. She only did that to Fang, Dak and Aurora; only because they knew she was joking and knew her the best.

Neku nodded his head and stepped out. Ari walked over to the cabinet where the avalanche of junk fell earlier. She needed to clean it up. No, she needed to sort through it. She had been piling it up for several years. Most of it was useless junk. As she dug through the pile, she found an old, dusty brown box. On the cover, was the Phoenix symbol, her family crest.

"Huh, I don't remember this box." She said aloud and blew the dust off the cover.

"Ah, I remember it. The general left it for you. He told me, should something happen to him, that I was to give this to you. He said it would be very helpful to you in the future. I think you open it with the Force." PROXY said.

Ari studied the box. There was a lock mechanism on it, but like PROXY said, it could only be opened with the Force. She closed her eyes and focused on the box. She felt a click and knew she opened it. She opened her eyes to inspect the contents. To her surprise, it was full of pieces and parts. The only non metal objects were two small crystals. One blue and one green.

She raised an eyebrow. "What is this stuff?" She picked up the blue crystal.

"Ah, so that is what he left you!" PROXY sounded excited.

"PROXY, what is this stuff. It looks like more junk."

"Those are parts to build a lightsaber. I wondered what the drunken fool was doing before the stormtroopers came that day."

"I can't make a lightsaber! I don't know how. And it's too dangerous to try without someone who knows how to make one." She closed the box.

"Maybe you could have Luke show you when he arrives in a week." PROXY suggested.

"I think I'll wait until we arrive on Yavin IV. She put the box in a drawer in her desk and returned to the pile of junk and began sorting. Ari looked up when her stomach started rumbling. Looking at her wrist chrono, she noticed it was close to dinner time.

"Well, I guess it's time to introduce you to the team." Ari walked out of her office, with PROXY following.

Ari walked through the garage, which was empty except for the swoop bikes, and went towards a door on the far side. Voices could be heard from the other side of the door. Ari took a deep breath and stepped walked in. They were all seated around a long table that ran the length of the room. Food covered the whole table. Fang and Aurora were seated towards the far end. There was an empty chair at the head of the table. That was Ari's seat. She walked to her seat, greeting her teammates as she passed them. PROXY followed silently behind her. Ari sat down and noticed Fang wouldn't look at her. She felt bad keeping the secret of her leaving from him, but She wasn't going to let him be down about her leaving before a big race. He would just have to wait like everyone else.

Fang stands up and speaks. "Hey, quiet down! Boss wants to speak to us!" He booms. He sits back down and looks at Ari expectantly.

"By now, you all know what happened to Dak. Thank the Force, he's going to be ok, but from now on, I don't want anyone going out by themselves. Too much can happen and with us at odds with the Black Krayts, it's dangerous to be alone." She paused to make sure everyone was still paying attention. "Next, The Mos Espa Swoop is in two days. I want everyone on their best behavior. I do not, I repeat, do not want an incident like last year. If you remember, they threatened us with suspension for the rest of the season. So be smart." Ari glared at where Chutta and a few other Rodians were sitting. "Finally, the last order of business. This is PROXY. As most of you know, he was the one who took care of me when my Uncle died. He disappeared a few years ago, but I found him when I was out in Krayt Canyon." She motioned towards PROXY. He made no movements, he just stood there.

"Dude, is that a holo-droid? Those things are rare." One of the Rodians said.

"Yes, PROXY is a holo-droid. He was my parents and was passed down to me." Ari said.

"I thought he was programmed to kill you?" Christophe asked

"No he was programmed to kill my father, not me. When I found PROXY, he thought I was my father and proceeded to attack me. That's how I fractured my hand. But I reprogrammed him, so he won't attack anybody unless I order him to. So, he's pretty much harmless."

"Master, you know as well as I do, I am _not_ harmless." PROXY interjected.

Some of the members chuckled. Others tried to hide smiles.

"Well that was the agenda for tonight, so let's dig in."

Ari sat down and the rest of her team started eating. She looked over at Fang. He was focusing on getting food. She could sense that he still wasn't happy with her. Ari looked at the empty seat to her right. That is where Dak normally sat. She smiled inwardly. He should be released later that evening and then the team would be back to full strength. She grabbed her plate and started eating.

After dinner, Aurora and Ari left to go pick Dak up. They received a call from the medical center when he was ready. Ari was piloting the speedercar.

"Aurora, can I talk to you?" Ari asked.

"Sure. What's wrong?"

"I'm leaving Tatooine. One of the guys who I led into the desert was Luke Skywalker. He offered to finish my training as a Jedi on Yavin IV."

Aurora didn't speak for a moment. She just looked at Ari with her bight sapphire eyes.

"Is that why Fang won't talk to you?" Aurora finally asked

"Partially. He's mad because I won't tell him what was bugging me earlier. But I don't want to get the team down before a race. I plan on telling them after the race is over. But I needed to tell somebody. Somebody I trust."

"Then tell Fang. He's been your friend for years. He deserves to know." Aurora paused "Fang can keep most of his emotions in check. But he has problems with his anger. You know that. If he's angry during the race, he could end up doing something that jeopardizes the team or himself. You're right in not telling the rest of the team of your decision. But at least tell Fang. And maybe Dak." Aurora smiled "He doesn't race, and it's not like he does anything."

Ari laughed at the last statement. Dak actually had a complex job, especially before and during races. To have him injured before a race was a blow, but luckily he would be fine.

"Thanks Aurora. Once we get back I'll tell Fang and Dak. Hopefully Fang will understand." Ari said as they reached the medical center. Ari and Aurora walked inside. Sitting in a chair, covered in bacta wraps, was Dak. He had a mischievous grin plastered to his face.

"Hey sis, hey boss. I knew you were worried about me." Dak stood up.

Dak was like his older sister, very tall. But that is where the similarities stopped. Dak had jet black hair with grey eyes and Aurora had snow white hair and sapphire eyes.

Ari sighed. "Come on. Let's go home."

Dak just smiled and followed his sister.

This time, Aurora drove home, leaving Ari in the back with Dak riding shotgun.

"Dak, Ari has something she needs to tell you." Aurora said casually.

"Is that right? Whatcha need to say, boss?" Dak said turning around in his seat to face Ari.

"Yeah, I was going to wait, nut I guess that won't happen" She shot a glare at Aurora and proceeded to tell Dak about her departure in a week's time. When she finished Dak stared at her in silence. He turned around in his seat and spoke.

"A week? That's how long you have left here! A week!" Dak whispered. "Does the rest of the team know?"

"No, just you and Aurora. I plan on telling Fang when we get back. I'll tell the team after the race is over." Ari waited for a response from Dak. When none came, she spoke again. "Dak, I'm sorry."

"Ari, don't be sorry. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you. But it's just that, you only have a week left with us. After you've left, what's going to happen to us? I mean, this is _your_ swoop team. _You're_ the leader." Dak asked turning around again.

"I'm going to let the team decide how the next leader is chosen. I'm only staying because of the race and so when I step down, there isn't a power struggle."

Another silence followed. By this point, they had reached the shop. Aurora helped Dak into the house right beside the shop. She came back and spoke.

"Fang's not in the house, so I'm assuming he's in the shop. Go talk to him." She then walked back into the house.

Ari took a deep breath and walked into the shop. Fang wasn't at the front desk. Ari searched with the Force and found him in the garage. She walked back to the garage, and found him sitting in his red and black flamed swoop bike.

"As she approached him, Ari could sense he was angry.

"So when were you going to tell me?" He said in a flat tone, which meant he was trying to control his anger.

"After the race was over. I didn't want to affect the moral of the team."

"But you knew I would want to know. I had to corner PROXY after you left. I'm surprised he actually told me." Fang paused to get out of his bike. "Ari, you know, you can be a real pain in the ass at times." He was glaring at Ari now, his indigo eyes boring into her brown ones.

Ari was getting angry now. "Well I'm sorry but I was trying to do what I thought was best for the team! If that means I need to be a pain in the ass, then I will be!"

She noticed Fang was backing away from her, and fear spread through his eyes. Then she realized what she was doing. Her arms were sparking with Force lightning. She quickly relaxed herself and looked back at Fang, but he was gone. In anger, Ari picked up a tool and flung it across the room. It made a loud thud as it hit the far wall.


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: This will be my last update until after the 12 of November. I will be out of the country for awhile. Also, for those who want to know, I have decided about weather to put Starkiller's clone in this or not. But I'm not going to tell you!_

Chapter 12:

'Force, I've messed up this time.'

Ari was sitting alone in her swoop bike. She was trying to calm down after the spat she and Fang hand an hour earlier. Many emotions were going through her mind. Anger was the biggest. She was angry at several things. Fang, because he over reacted about her leaving. She was angry at PROXY, for telling Fang about her leaving. But she was angry at herself the most, mainly for losing control over her emotions. She had never lost control like that before, not at one of her friends. She looked up as the door to the garage opened. Chutta had walked in. He didn't notice her sitting in her bike as he walked towards his own bike. She hid herself through the Force. She didn't want to talk to anybody. Not while she was still angry. When Chutta walked out a minute later, she got out of her bike and walked outside.

It was late enough, only the cantinas were open still, so the streets were mostly empty. She walked down the ally way, deep in thought. She walked into the _Drunken Dragon,_ hoping that the noise would take her mind off the recent argument with Fang.

"Ari!" Came a guttural voice.

Someone called her name from a back table. She looked over and saw a green skinned Trandoshan waving to her.

"Calo!" She called back, excitement evident in her voice.

"How's it going?" he asked, lumbering over.

"Pretty good. How about you? I heard the _Hunter Stars_ are under new management."

"Hehe, you heard about that? I was hoping to surprise everybody at the meeting tomorrow night. I wanted to see the looks on the other leaders faces when I walked in and not Pallacor." He said disappointed.

"I actually heard it from one of the regulars in the cantina here. He said Pallacor had no chance against you."

"Now, I wouldn't say that. Pallacor just over stepped his boundaries. He pushed the team too far." Calo shrugged. "So, are you ready for the race?"

"Are you kidding me? It's the first race of the season. Of course I'm ready!" Ari exclaimed. "Are you guys?"

Calo shrugged "Yeah, I guess you could say so. This is my first time leading a team during a swoop race. And since it's not our home track, it's a little unnerving."

Ari nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but it's not too bad, as long as you know one of the locals."

"Hehe, I'm lucky I know you then." Calo laughed.

Ari was about to speak, when a sharp pain shot through her head. She braced herself by grabbing onto Calo for support.

"Whoa, easy there Ari. Are you okay?" Calo asked guiding her to a booth so she could sit down.

She shook her head yes. The Force was warning her of something. Reaching out, she sensed Jett nearby. He was with someone she didn't recognize. They were walking towards the cantina. Jett had murder of his mind.

"I need to get out of here." Ari quickly stood up and walked towards the door.

"What's the rush? Is somebody trying to kill you?" Calo joked

Ari looked at Calo, a hint of fear in her brown eyes. Calo eyes widened as he realized somebody was after her.

"Are you armed?" He asked

Ari reached for her blaster, but it wasn't there. It was sitting on her workbench at the shop.

"I don't have my blaster, but I'm armed."

Calo looked at Ari like she was crazy, but walked out with her. Ari knew most beings wouldn't mess with a Trandoshan. Not if they had a choice. They had just walked out of the cantina and turned a corner when Ari sensed Jett walking into the cantina. She smiled, knowing he wouldn't find her.

"I think the coast is clear." Ari said sighing.

"Jeez. You are a popular person around here." Calo said shaking his head. "Well, no offense, but I've had enough excitement for one night. Besides, I've got to get the team ready for the races. I'll see you tomorrow at the meeting. Later!" And Calo walked off back towards the cantina.

Ari walked back to the shop and went to get her blaster. She noticed a light glowing in the backroom, where her office was. She quietly walked in, only to find PROXY sitting at her desk, on the Holonet.

"What are you up to?"

"I am updating outdated information. I don't remember anything from the past few years."

"Ok, I've got a question for you. Why did you tell Fang I was leaving?"

"He is you're friend, is he not. I thought you forgot to tell him, so I went ahead and did so."

Ari took a deep breath to calm herself. Getting angry would solve nothing.

"Was I not supposed to tell him?" PROXY asked standing up.

"No, I was going to wait until later." Ari sighed "Now come on. You can update tomorrow."

Ari walked out with PROXY behind her. She locked the shop and went into the house. It was the middle of the night, so Ari was quiet through walking through the house. She walked sown a hallway and went into a room on the left. Once PROXY was inside, she closed the door and flipped the lights on.

Her room was small, but cozy. A bed with beige covers lined the back wall. A closet door was beside the bed. A dresser and mirror stood beside it were on the left wall. On the right wall was a bookshelf with holos on various people on top. She took her boots off and flopped down on the bed.

"Master, where do you want me to stay?"

"The chair will be fine." Ari said closing her eyes. Her last memory before falling asleep was looking at the holo of her mother holding a baby Arienna.

"Ari. Ari, wake up. Arienna Marek!"

Ari jumped off of her bed, blaster ready in her hand. She relaxed as she saw Aurora standing in her doorway.

"I'm sorry, Aurora. I didn't mean to jump." Ari said running her fingers through her hair. It felt good down instead of up in the usual ponytail.

"It's fine. You were obviously up late last night. It's almost mid-day."

Ari looked at her wrist chrono. "Kreth, I've missed half the day!"

"I thought it was better if you slept. Knowing you, you didn't sleep much while out in the canyon, if at all." Aurora said in a motherly tone, leaving.

Ari just rolled her eyes in response. She switched out of her clothes for fresh ones. She grabbed her blaster and opened her closet. In a grey metallic box, she pulled out a retractable vibrosword. She smiled, closed her door and walked out of her room.

Aurora had disappeared into her bedroom, leaving the main room of the house empty. There were two couches and three chairs spread in a circle around a low table. Through a door was the kitchen, which was connected to the living room by a counter with stools under the window. She replicated a snack and quickly ate it, rushing out the door. She walked into the shop next door and ran straight into Fang.

"Watch it." Fang growled.

Ari glared at him but kept walking. She knew she would have to talk to Fang, but not while he was like this. She sighed and walked into the garage. There was excitement in the air. The first swoop race of the season was tomorrow. The whole team was busy making last minute repairs and tune ups on their swoop bikes.

"Hey, 'bout time you woke up!" Dak yelled. He had a large metal tool box in his hands.

Ari just shook her head. She walked to her work space grabbed her tool box. Even though Dak was the team mechanic, everyone had their own tools. She grabbed her gloves her helmet, which matched her bike, and a set of goggles. She tossed them into the tool box and closed it. Her bike was in perfect condition, so she went to help Dak.

"Need any help?"

"Sure. Uh, grab the crate on my workbench. That has all of the specialty tools." He nodded in the direction of his work area.

After loading the hauler with Dak's tools, it was time to start putting swoop bikes in. . Not all could fit in the hauler at the same time. Only a few bikes were actually going to the track in the morning. The rest would come in the afternoon. Ari was guiding a swoop bike into the hauler when Neku walked up to her.

"Fang needs you in the office."

"Alright. Can you help move Chutta bike in?"

"Yeah."

Ari walked to the office. She put up her defenses incase Fang was still angry like he was earlier. AS she walked in, she saw a brown Rodian and a black haired human in front of the desk, talking to Fang. The Rodian turned to face Ari.

"S'ati, Roark, this is Ari. She's the one you are going to want to talk to." Fang said

[Ah, so you are the Rogue Rider leader. I'm S'ati, the new director of S.R.A.T.] The Rodian said in Huttese.

"I'm Roark. The new events coordinator."

"Pleasure to meet you." Ari shook their hands. "What can I help you with?"

"We're just going around introducing ourselves to the Swoop Gang leaders." Roark replied

"I didn't realize that there was a change in the chain of command."

[It just changed a few days ago. Nalkray stepped down.] S'ati quickly said

Ari knew Nalkray didn't just 'step down' on his own. Tatooine politics didn't work like that.

"I'm sorry to hear that." She said sympathetically

"Well, it was nice to meet you. We'll see you at the meeting tonight, I trust?" Roark said

"You can be sure that I'll be there." She smiled. She didn't like Roark. The Force was giving her a bad feeling about him.

S'ati and Roark then walked out.

"Something tells me Nalkray didn't just step down. I wonder what happened." Ari questioned

"Don't know, don't care." Fang quickly said, looking away.

"Fang, look. I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was leaving. Be angry with me all you want, but that's not going to change my mind." Ari said frustrated, grabbing a hold of Fang's arm. Fang was easily 1 foot and a half taller than her.

"But, why? Why are you leaving then? I get Tatooine isn't the ideal place to live, but why so sudden?" He turned to face Ari. His eyes were starting to water up.

"Wait, PROXY didn't tell you why?"

"No, he just said you were leaving in a week."

"I'm leaving because I've been given a chance to finish my training as a Jedi."

"Finish? I thought you were a Jedi." Fang said

"No, Kota's journal wasn't finished before he died. Luke has offered to help me."

Fang stood silently. The fur under his eyes was dark from where the tears had made it wet.

"Fang?"

His clear blue eyes met her dark brown ones. "I'm sorry I snapped. I thought you were abandoning us."

"I would never abandon you guys! I have a responsibility to the team!" she said incredulously.

"I know, I'm sorry. It's just hard to hear that your best friend is leaving." He picked Ari up and gave her a bear hug

"I'll miss you too." Ari said, her eyes tearing up now.

5


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: I forgot to put what S.R.A.T. stands for. It's Swoop Racers Association of Tatooine. _

Chapter 13:

Ari was relaxing in her room. The hauler was set for the morning, the swoops were in excellent working condition and she and Fang were on speaking terms again. The only thing she had left on her list for that day was the leaders meeting that night. She still had an hour before the meeting started. Things were starting to look good.

"Ah, I wondered where you went, Master." PROXY walked into her room.

"Just relaxing. I don't have anything to do for a while." She said

"Will I be going to the meeting with you?"

"No, this is for swoop leaders only." Ari shook her head

"But will this Jett and Viper be there?"

"Yeah, but they wouldn't dare do anything. Not while the officials are there. Besides, I have a friend who wouldn't let anything happen." Ari said, referring to Calo

"Will you be armed?"

Ari laughed. "PROXY, it's kinda hard to unarm a Force user. If you mean weapons, I'll have my blaster and my vibrosword."

"I could go as you." PROXY suggested after a moment.

"You can't. You wouldn't know anyone there, and besides, do you know how these meetings work?" Ari raised an eyebrow.

PROXY was silent. Ari knew she had won that argument. It was one of only a few. The droid was very stubborn when it came to Ari's safety.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Fang stood in the doorway.

"Nah, PROXY and I were just talking." Ari replied

"Any more secrets?" he smirked as he flopped down on Ari's bed

"Well..." Ari teased

"Funny. You are such a card." Fang said not amused

"Ready for tomorrow?" she asked

"Are you kidding me? Of course I'm ready. I've been ready!"

Ari looked at her wrist chrono. It was time for her to leave for the meeting.

"I've got to go. I'll see you guys after the meeting." She said grabbing her blaster and vibrosword.

"Be careful, Ari." PROXY said

"I'll be fine." She grinned as she walked out of her room.

The meeting was being held in the meeting hall in the center of Mos Espa. When Ari arrived, she immediately saw a tall, lean, black-haired human with a short burly looking guy with blonde stubble for hair. The black haired guy walked over to Ari.

"Well, I see you survived your little desert excursion. I thought those Krayt dragons would be the end of you." He sneered

"It's takes more than a few lizards to get me, Jett." Ari shot back frostily.

"It appears so. But you won't survive much longer. You're living on borrowed time." He said, his hand reaching down towards the blaster on his hip.

"You got a problem, Jett?" Calo snarled, walking up behind Jett.

"Not with you, Calo. Just her." Jett glared at Ari.

"Alright, let's get started!" Roark said standing behind a podium. S'ati stood behind him.

"I'll deal with you later." Jett said and walked back to where Viper and an unfamiliar Duro were sitting. Ari searched him with the Force as she sat down beside Calo. She realized it was the same person Jett was with last night outside the _Drunken Dragon_.

"Ok, First things first. When I call your name, respond please. Jett Dalberk and Viper Walrek of the _Black Krayts_."

"Here." Called Jett and Viper at the same time

"Calo of the _Storm Runners_."

"Here." Came Calo's guttural voice

"Kaila Nortes of the _Twin Dunes_."

[Here!] called a female Rodian in Huttese

"Ari Marek of the _Rogue Riders_."

"Here." She called

"Nawibo Ibonek of the _Sand Hunters_."

"Here!" called a bright red haired human male.

"And N'anek of the _Hidden Daggers_."

"[Here.]" called the Duro who was sitting with Jett and Viper.

"Great! Everyone is here. Now, the track opens for racers at 0700 hours. It opens to the public at 0800 hours. Racing starts at 0830 hours. S'ati is handing out the flimsy sheets with the times each team will race. At 1500 hours, those who wish to try and improve times may go." Roark paused to make sure everyone was still paying attention.

Ari was struggling to pay attention. His voice was very monotone and dry. She read his mind through the Force, trying to get all of the information without having to listen to him. She smiled when she sensed a wave of anxiety come over him. He was nervous being in a room full of swoop gang leaders.

'We are pretty intimidating.' She thought to herself.

"Now, the last order of business. Most of you know that there was an incident between two swoop teams last year. I will not tolerate anything of the same nature. If you have a problem with another team, take it outside the track. If there is an incident, the teams involved will be banned for the rest of the season. I don't think anyone wants to do that at the beginning of the year." Roark looked at Jett and Viper then to Ari.

"What happened last year?" Calo whispered to Ari.

"Two of the Black Krayts sabotaged a couple of our swoop bikes. So, Dak and Chutta went to confront them and a big fight broke out. We had to pay a hefty fine and sit out the next swoop race." She whispered back.

Calo snorted in amusement.

"[Oh, one more thing! We have instated a new rule. All team members must wear something identifiable to their team, so just in case an incident happens, we know what team they are from.]" S'ati spoke up. Then Roark and S'ati walked out.

"Finally, I didn't think I could sit there much longer." Calo stood up and stretched.

"Same here."

"At least you can go through his head with your mind magic or whatever it is you can do."

"It's called the Force, Calo. And he was kinda boring to read. He was scared of all of us. Especially you. I'm not sure he's ever seen a Trandoshan before."

Calo only smiled in response.

"I'll see you at the track tomorrow. I've got to finish some things before tomorrow." Ari said

"Be careful. I don't think Jett will let you go home peacefully." Calo said

"Later Calo." Ari walked out.

As soon as she walked out, Jett stepped out in front of her. She immediately grabbed her blaster. Jett had his pistol ready as well.

"What do _you_ want?" Ari asked. She had hatred in her voice.

"I just wanted to let you know that you won't be surviving this swoop race. Not this year. I'll make sure of it." Jett said

"Jett, you threaten this a lot. But you're not going to kill me." Ari said confidently.

"But this year, I've got a secret weapon. And your magic 'force' powers won't help you this time. I guarantee it." He said backing away slowly.

"Are you scared of my abilities? Sounds like you're paranoid." She taunted

"No, but you'll be sorry that you were born, when my plan is put into action." Jett then turned and walked away. Viper stepped out of an alleyway to follow him. The Duro, N'anek, followed as well.

Ari was uneasy. Jett had always threatened her, but not like this. He was very confident about this murder attempt. More so than usual. There wasn't anything she could do except trust the Force to warn her if something should happen. Tightening the grip on her blaster, she walked back home.

Dak was sitting on the couch when Ari walked in. Nobody had messed with her on the walk home. She had been extra vigilant with the Force.

"How was the meeting?" Dak asked, looking up from the holonews.

"Same as last year. They want us to wear our armbands. Just incase there's an incident."

"Did they bring up last year's scuffle?" Dak grinned

"Not directly, but if it happens again, we are suspended for the whole season. So no harassing the Krayts. When you see Chutta, tell him the same thing." Ari frowned.

"Hey, they sabotaged our bikes, so it was only fair." Dak protested.

"But I'm not going to risk the whole team being suspended. If something like that does happen, which I'm sure it will, take it outside the track."

Dak's grin widened. "I think we can manage that."

"I'm serious Dak. We don't need to have any problems. It's bad enough you guys are going to have to choose a new leader in a few days."

Dak's smile faded. "Yeah, don't remind me. Speaking of which, did you and Fang make up yet?"

"Yeah, earlier today, after S'ati and Roark were here."

"That's good. Aurora was worried you two would part ways on a bad note. I told her you guys would make up, but she didn't believe me." Dak's grin had returned.

"I don't doubt that. She worries too much about Fang and me."

"Yeah, I feel the same way."

"Dak, everyone needs to worry about you." Ari grinned

"Hey! I can take care of myself."

Ari just shook her head and walked back to her room. "Night Dak."

When she walked into her room, PROXY was sitting on her bed, reading a book. She realized it was the journal Kota had left for her.

"Ah, I see you have returned. Everything go as expected?" PROXY asked looking up from the book.

"Yeah, everything was fine." She sat down on the bed beside PROXY. "Why are you reading that?"

"It was laying open on your nightstand. I couldn't recall where Kota left off before his death." PROXY said putting the journal back.

Ari got up and walked over to her closet. She opened it up and pulled out a dark brown tunic and matching pants, a black jacket and a golden armband with a teal starbird on it. She laid it on her dresser and went back to the closet. She pulled out a pair of shiny black boots and set them on the floor by the dresser.

"Alright, time for you to hop off the bed. I have to get up early to finish any last minute preparations." Ari said switching into her sleepwear.

PROXY moved off the bed and into the chair. Setting her wrist-chrono, Ari soon fell asleep.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

Ari work up to the high pitched beeping of her alarm. She groaned and rolled over and felt along the night stand for the alarm. She smacked the button and silenced it. Sitting up, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and got out of bed. She looked at the chair and saw PROXY was switched off. Once she changed into the clothes she had set out the night before, she walked out of her room, went down the hall and knocked of Fang's room. When he didn't respond, she forced the door open with the Force. She walked in a found a lump hidden by covers. Only a furry red ear stuck out. Ari tickled the ear, resulting in Fang jumping out of bed and grabbing her wrist.

"Relax, I just came to wake you up." Ari said, jerking her wrist out of Fang's grasp.

"Oh, sorry." He yawned. "I'll be out in a few minutes."

Ari left his room to go wake Dak up. She knocked once and the door slid open. Dak was standing on the other side, dressed in similar cloths as Ari, but his shirt had grease spots covering it.

"Good, you're up."

"I heard your alarm go off. Is Fang up?"

"Yeah, I'm right here." Fang said walking out of his room. He had a beige tank top on with a dark brown vest over top of it. He had on black shorts. The golden arm band stuck out against his red fur.

"Are you guys ready?" Ari asked.

"Yep." Dak replied

Fang nodded his head.

"Let me go and get PROXY then we'll be ready." Ari said

She walked into her room and found PROXY standing in the doorway.

"Ready PROXY?" she asked

"Of course, Master." He nodded

Ari nodded and walked out, with Fang, Dak and PROXY following. They walked to the back of the shop and hopped in to the hauler. Dak was in the driver's seat with Ari in the passenger seat and Fang was in the back of the hauler, with the swoop bikes. They were going to meet the rest of the team at the track.

The ride to the track was quick, lasting only about ten minutes. Dak stopped at the front gates, and Ari hopped out. She was greeted by the rest of the team.

"Are we all here?" She asked Christophe.

"Yes. We were just waiting on you." He replied

"Alright. I'll go sign us in." Ari walked up to the tent set up outside the gates. She walked in to face two guards sitting at a table.

"Ari Marek, leader of the _Rogue_ _Riders_." She said.

"Identification sheet please." Asked one of the guards.

Ari pulled out a flimsy sheet and handed it to the guard. He scanned through it and handed it back to her.

"All clear." He said

Ari nodded and hopped back into the hauler. Once they were in the gates, the team headed for the pit in the very back of the garage. She passed by Jett and Viper. Jett was looking up at her, giving her a sneer. She ignored him and tried to focus on the day's events. She expanded out with the Force and searched for anything that could potentially harm her or the team. She couldn't sense anything.

"Okay, let's unload." Dak said hopping out of the hauler.

Ari nodded and stepped out. The garage area was filled with loud noises and lots beings moving around. Beside the _Rogue Riders_ were the _Sand Hunters_. On the other side of the _Sand Hunters_, were the _Storm Runners_.

"Dude, we're finally here! This is exciting!" Fang said walking up behind Ari.

"I'm glad you're excited." Ari smiled. It did feel good to be at the track. She walked into the hauler and helped unload.

The entire track was abuzz at midday. After they unloaded the hauler, Dak and Fang went back to get the rest of the Swoop bikes. By the time he arrived back, the track had opened up to the general public. Ari was separated from her team most of the day. She had to stay in the leaders pit, where spectators were allowed to converse with the leader. Even though they were just the leaders of rough and tough swoop gangs, they were considered celebrities among the people of Tatooine.

Ari hated the attention. She would rather be with her teammates than in the leaders pit, dealing with the general public, the majority of whom she considered idiots.

The leaders pit was located on a cliff edge, overlooking the final stretch of the course. She was standing at the railing, watching Chutta take his turn on the course. So far, Jett had the fastest time of 32.67 seconds. The second fastest was Nawibo Ibonek from the _Sand Hunters_ with a time of 32.98 seconds. Some of the _Rouge Riders_ had gone, but none were close to the top. But they still had a chance. Fang, Christophe still had to race and so did she. And they had the extra time at the end, after everyone went out on the track once.

"_Calo of the Strom Runners to the starting pit." _Called the announcer over the intercom.

Ari looked behind her to see Calo walking out of the pit. Well, running was a better description. She smiled at her friends enthusiasm. A tap on her shoulder made her turn around. A brown Rodian stood behind her. Putting on a warm smile she greeted the stranger.

"Hello." Ari said putting her hand out for a handshake.

"Master, it is me." The Rodian said

"PROXY, what are you doing? You don't need to conceal yourself." Ari said shaking her head.

"I didn't want to attract attention. Holo droids are very rare and valuable." PROXY replied

"You've got a point. Why are you up here? I thought you were staying in our pit area."

"I was until I over heard two humans and a Duro talking about you. They said something about their plan almost being ready. I came to warn you and help protect you."

Ari looked over to find Jett and Viper. Viper was talking to S'ati, but Jett wasn't in the pit. Searching with the Force, she found him in the _Black Krayts_' pit area. He was working on his swoop bike.

"PROXY, you realized you can't stay up here. This is the leader's pit. You are going to have to leave at some point or they'll kick you out." Ari said turning to face the track once more.

"Alright, but I will be watching you from afar then. The black haired one said something about an unexpected surprise." PROXY turned and walked out, leaving Ari to ponder over Jett's words.

'An unexpected surprise?' She thought. 'What is he planning?'

Ari looked to her left, towards the starting point on the track. She could just barely make out the bright green and neon orange of Calo's swoop bike. She heard the bang of the gun and Calo was off. His bike was a blur in the distance as it raced across the sand, dodging various scrap plies and rocks along the track. Once he passed the leader's pit, it became impossible to see as a result of the dust cloud the bikes stirred up. She turned around to the screen which had all the times of each racer. In big, bold letters was _Calo: Storm Runners: 32.65_. She smiled. Calo was now in first place, beating Jett by .02 seconds.

Calo was done so that left four more racers until it was her turn. Ari turned and left the tent heading towards the _Rogue Riders_ pit. She wanted to do one more check on her swoop bike before she hit the track. As she walked out of the tent, she noticed PROXY following her from a distance, still in his Rodian disguise.

She entered the pit to find only Dak and Christophe still there.

"Where is everybody?" She asked Dak, who was cleaning the grease off of a hydrospanner.

"I heard Fang say something about food, and the team just disappeared." He grinned.

"I'm not surprised. Has everything been going ok?"

"So far, so good. The only complaint is Chutta had a vibration. Turned out to be a loose bolt. Nothing major."

"How are you doing, Christophe?" She called across the pit.

"Fine." he said simply, not looking up from his bike.

Ari only nodded in response. Christophe didn't like to be disturbed when he was focused on his bike.

She walked over to where her bike, _Black Shadow_, sat. she hopped in and flipped the switch on. Checking the console, she saw a flashing light above the fuel gauge. She shut the bike off and lifted the hood for the fuel pump. She didn't see anything wrong.

"Hey, Dak. Can you come check this out? I've got the fuel light on, but I'm not seeing anything wrong." Ari yelled

"Hmm, I'm not sure what the problem is. Out of fuel maybe?" Dak said scratching his head.

"No, I filled it yesterday before we loaded it, see." She unscrewed the cap off.

"Let's see then." Dak walked off to his tool box, mumbling about what it could be.

"Hey Christophe, could you be ready to go in my place? I'm not sure if I'll be ready by then."

"Yeah, when do you go?"

"In a few minutes."

"I'll go let the official know." Christophe hopped into his bike and left the garage.

Dak came back, carrying his tool box.

"I've got the feeling this will take awhile. Got watch the racing, I'll contact you via commlink when I'm done." Dak said pulling out his tools.

Ari walked out to the railing. Like the leader's pit, the garage viewing area sat on the edge of the cliff, but they were in the middle of the track.

"Ari, I thought you were up next." Fang said walking up behind Ari. Chutta, Neku and some of the other _Rogue Riders_ were with him.

"Something's wrong with the fuel gauge. Dak's making sure everything's okay. Christophe is going instead." She said turning back towards the track.

Fang only nodded and turned to watch the racing.

Ari focused on the far end of the track, where she could see Christophe's dark blue speeder at the starting line. Suddenly he was off across the track. As he reached the middle of the track, a massive explosion erupted and engulfed his bike.

"Christophe!" Ari yelled. She jumped over the railing and dropped 40 feet onto the track. Using the Force, she eased her landing and sprinted across the track to where Christophe's bike sat, burning and smoking.

"Christophe!" she yelled when she reached the wreck.

The smoke was thick and it stung her eyes. Christophe had a dome cover for his bike, but it only opened from the inside. She had to get the dome open or Christophe would suffocate from the smoke. She couldn't destroy the dome, the glass could harm Christophe. A thought crossed her mind. Relaxing herself, her right hand starting sparking with lightning. She directed it towards the place on the dome where it latched to the actual bike. She heard a click and the dome pulled back. Smoke came billowing out of the cockpit. She reached in, feeling for Christophe's arm and pulled him out. By the time she had dragged him out, Fang had caught up to her.

"Here, I've got him." He took the Twi'lek and carried him firefighter style.

One of the medical speeders had finally reached them. A droid had hopped out and guided a medical capsule to them. Fang eased him onto the stretcher and allowed the droid to rush him away. Another droid guided Ari to the speeder.

"I'm fine." She coughed

"We must check you for smoke damage." It said.

"Go, I've got things handled here." Fang said walking with her

Ari knew there would be no point arguing with Fang. And she wouldn't stop coughing. A quick trip wouldn't hurt. She hopped into the speeder and they drove off the track.


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: I apologize for the long break between chapters. I have been grounded so finding time to secretly work on this has been rough. The next update won't be until probably February._

Chapter 15:

The ride to the medical center was short. Ari was escorted to an examination room, despite her argument that she was fine. But the doctors wouldn't listen to her. While she sat on the examination table, she could only think about how Christophe was doing. When she pulled him out of his swoop, he had burn marks all over his arms and face and clothes were torn and ragged.

The door opened to reveal a droid walking in with a blond haired woman.

"I'm Doctor Zira. The droids said you inhaled smoke." she asked.

"Actually she was the one who rescued the Twi'lek from the swoop bike." The droid interrupted.

"I'm fine, really." Ari coughed

"Not with that coughing. Put her on an oxygen mask for a while. That should take care of any smoke in her lungs. In the mean time I need to check up on your friend. I'll check back in and let you know his condition." And then she walked out.

Ari sighed as the droid hovered over to her with an oxygen mask in its hand.

"You must rest now, so the oxygen can spread through your lungs." The droid said, placing the mask over her head. Then it left the room.

Ari leaned back against the wall. The events of the accident went through her mind. She realized that if her bike didn't have any problems, then that would have been her in Christophe's position. She doubted it was a problem with his bike. It had to be sabotage. Anger swelled up inside her as she knew who it was. Jett and Viper. She clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. As soon as she got back to the track, she was going to deal with them. This had gone on long enough. They had better hope Christophe would be okay or else they might not survive an encounter with her.

She relaxed as the blond haired doctor walked back in.

"Your friend is lucky. The burns are bad, but he'll be ok." She checked the monitor that was checking Ari's oxygen levels.

"How long will he have to stay here?" Ari asked

"A few days. He'll have to undergo kolto treatment and I want to make sure his lungs will recover. You on the other hand should be fine in an hour. It seems you didn't take in as much smoke as we first thought. But you do realize you could have been seriously hurt. Our lungs aren't made to inhale smoke." She said in a motherly tone.

"I know. But I had to help my friend." Ari argued

Doctor Zira smiled. "Your bravery is admirable. More people here on Tatooine should follow your example." She removed the oxygen mask and walked over to a machine. "Everything checks out. You are free to go."

"May I see my friend first?" Ari asked She wanted to see with her own eyes how Christophe was doing.

"Yes, but it must be brief. I want him to rest." Zira walked out with Ari following her.

When they reached Christophe's room, which was in intensive care, Ari was shocked. He had black patches all over his blue skin. She assumed the white kolto patches were covering the worst of his wounds. There were blisters forming on his arms and face, the only areas that weren't protected by clothing. He was hooked up to a machine monitoring his vitals, heartrate, oxygen intake, pulse.

Ari stepped inside the room and walked over to his bedside. Doctor Zira walked over to the droid who was monitering his vitals.

"Is he conscious yet?" she asked in a hushed tone

"No, but he shows signs of awaking soon. His brain waves are growing in strength." The droid replied.

Anger swelled up in Ari again. She was starting to see red and her brown eyes were turning black. She clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. Jett and Viper! Christophe almost died because of those two!

"I'm afraid you'll have to leave now. Is there a way I can update you on his condition?" The droid asked

"Yeah." Ari scribbled down her commlink number on the datapad and handed it back to the droid. Then she walked out.

Once she was outside of the medical center, she contacted Aurora.

"Ari! Are you okay? Dak told me what happened. Will Christophe be okay?" She asked

"I'm fine. Christophe will be fine, but he has to stay in the medical center for a few days for Kolto treatment. Could you come pick me up? I need to get back to the track." She replied

"Sure, I'm on my way."

Ari sat down and waited. She calmed herself through the Force. She relaxed and allowed the Force to envelope her. She couldn't go back angry. That would just cause her to do something stupid and irrational that could get her team in trouble. She had to be calm. She had to be relaxed. Fear racked her body as she realized what could happen if she lost her temper.

"It all depends on how you use that power." She whispered, remembering her father's words.

She opened her eyes and saw Aurora's speeder coming towards her.

"Are you set?" Aurora asked as Ari sat down.

"Yes. I have some things I need to take care of at the track." She said calmly.

"If you say so. I personally don't want you anywhere near the track. Not after what happened." Aurora argued.

"I'm still going. I have a score to settle." Ari said staring ahead.

"Ari, you of all people know revenge is not the right way to do things."

"So?"

"Ari, you are going against the Jedi Code. Isn't revenge against the code?"

Ari was silent. She knew Aurora was right. Revenge was against the code.

"_You are not and will not be a bad person. You were trained by a Jedi Master. And you have that natural sense of telling right from wrong like your mother."_ She thought of her father's words again.

"I know." She sighed "But I can't let Jett and Viper think they can pull shit like this and get away with it."

"Well, whatever you do, be careful. I don't want to see you hurt. Especially before you leave."

"Trust me, nothing bad will happen."

Aurora had reached the track and Ari hopped out. She walked back to the _Rogue Riders_ garage area.

"Ari!" Fang yelled. He ran up to her and bear hugged her. "Are you ok? Is Christophe going to be alright?"

"I'm fine and Christophe will be ok. He's badly burned, but he'll be fine." She saw Dak running over to her.

"Boss, you're back!" he smiled. "You're bike's fixed."

"Thanks Dak. Who is leading?" She asked Fang.

Fang had a big grin on his face.

"Who is leading?" Ari asked again.

"Ari, Fang has a time of 31.61 seconds. Calo is second with his 32.65 time." Dak said.

"You have the lead? That's great!" Ari said excited. Her brown eyes were lit up. "Whose next then?"

["No one. It's now open pit. You can still get a time in."] Chutta said.

"I'm heading out then." Ari grabbed her gloves and helmet. She turned to Fang. "Have they done anything to Jett and Viper?"

"No, they technically don't know who sabotaged the track. So they're still walking free." Fang growled.

"Don't worry. I've got something planned for them. But try to keep them away from me. I don't want any distractions until after my run." Ari grinned.

She flipped a switch on her bike. The engine roared to life, drowning out all other noises. Ari placed her hands on the controls and felt the vibration of the bike vibrate against her palms. She pressed the accelerator and flew out of the garage. She slowed down as she reached the entrance to the starting line. There were a few bikes in line in front of her. She sighed and put her gloves on.

"Hey, you're not dead!" Calo said walking up behind her.

"Thanks. Glad to see you too." Ari said sarcastically

"I'm assuming you figured out who it was?" He said looking at the line in front of her.

"Yeah, I know exactly who it was." Ari looked ahead of her.

Three spots up from her was Jett and Viper. They were watching her and Calo. Jett had a sneer on his face. Viper was trying to talk to him.

"Want me to go scare the little sleemos? I'm sure it can't be that hard."

"No, I've got something planned for them. Especially Jett. I'm willing to be against a Hutt that he was the one who sabotaged the track."

"Alright. But if you want a little muscle, I'm happy to help." Calo walked over to one of his teammates.

Ari shook her head. Calo may be a Trandoshan, but he didn't act like it most of the time. He was very laid back and friendly. But now he was acting like a typical Trandoshan, mean and ready for a fight.

Ari shifted her focus back to the race. She had to hit her marks just right. Towards the end of the track, it was bumpy. If you hit a bump wrong, it could slow you down, or even worse, crash your bike. She thought of all the spots along the track that she had to shift the gears; she thought of the places where rocks jutted out of the ground and of where sand dunes were located.

As her turn neared, a queasy feeling formed in her gut. She looked around for Jett and Viper. Jett had already gone on his run and Viper was nowhere to be seen. She opened herself to the Force and the queasy feeling intensified. She realized something bad was going to happen.

[Hey! Get moving!]

Ari looked over at a Gran yelling at her in Huttese. She moved her bike to the starting line. She put her helmet and goggles on and flipped a switch on her bike. The engine roared even louder now. She set her feet on the pedals and placed her hands of the controls. She grinned as she felt the vibration of the bike going through her whole body. She watched the lights to the left of the starting line. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched it change from red to yellow. It flipped to green and she hit the accelerator.

She was flying through the sand. Suddenly the queasy feeling attacked her mind. She pulled sharply to the left and saw an explosion to her right. Another explosion happened right in front of her. She swerved right. Ari swore and kept swerving to avoid explosions. She pushed her bike with the Force to try and beat the explosions. She crossed the finish line and pulled off to the pit area.

Medic droids were moving towards her.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." She said. She searched with the Force and searched for Jett and Viper. Jett was close by and Viper was close to Jett. Ari's anger reached a new high. She saw droids and other beings back away from her. She knew her arms were covered in lightning.

"Ari!" she heard Fang yell.

Ari started walking towards where Jett was. She knew he was behind it. She could sense his thoughts. He had laid the mines on the track during his run.

Fang had caught up to her and grabbed her shoulders. "Don't do this. He's not worth it."

Calo had joined them by this point. "Listen to Fang. You don't want to get your team in trouble. Save it until after the race is over."

"No. I've put up with him all day. He's tried to kill me twice now. He has crossed the line." Ari said, anger evident in her words.

By this point, she had reached Jett. He was casually leaning against his bike. Ari could see through his façade; he was terrified on the inside. That made Ari smiled.

"What do you want?" He said.

"You knew well, what I want, you sleemos. Two attempts to try and kill me. One injured a teammate, and you ask what _I _want?" the lightning on her arms intensified.

"You can't do anything. Not unless you want your pathetic team to be banned for the rest of the season."

Ari knew he was right. As long as he was inside the track, he was untouchable.

"Fine, then after the race, if you want to kill me so badly, then you'll get your chance. If you kill me, then you leave the _Rogue Riders_ alone. If I walk away alive, you step down from leader of the _Black Krayts_." Ari proposed

Jett looked at Viper, who had walked up beside him during the conversation. "Fine. I accept this duel. After the race, at the old Pod Racing start line."

"Just be there." Ari said. Fang grabbed her shoulders and led her away.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

"Are you mad?" Fang asked Ari. "He will kill you!"

"No, he won't. I won't let him." Venom was laced in her words. Lightning was still sparking along her hands and arms.

"Ari, for once, listen to reason. This is suicide. Just because you can use the Force, that doesn't mean you're invincible." Calo reasoned

Fang had led Ari to a secluded part of the garage, away from the public. By now, word of the impending fight had spread through the track. The rest of the _Rogue Riders_ were trying to keep unwanted beings away from her. Calo even had his team helping to keep others away.

"I'll be fine. Somebody needs to put Jett in his place. He's gone too long unpunished." She argued

"But does it have to be _you_? Why can't it be me or even Calo?" Fang asked. By this point he was pacing.

"Let me do it. He wouldn't stand a chance against me." Calo suggested.

"But he hasn't tried to kill you twice in the same day, has he?" She shot back.

Calo and Fang were silent. Jett had never tried to kill either one of them. He had actually offered Fang a place on the _Black Krayts_ when he took over. Calo personally never had a problem with Jett. It was only Ari who was tortured by him.

"That's what I thought." Ari sighed. "I need to do this. He won't lay a hand on me. I guarantee it."

Fang and Calo looked at each other. Fang shook his head and spoke.

"What are you going to fight with? Your Vibroblade was destroyed, remember?"

Ari thought for a second. Fang did have a point; her vibroblade was destroyed by PROXY. She was good with a blaster, but better with a blade. Finding the right one in a few hours wasn't going to be easy. It would have to be the right one. But she couldn't leave the track either. This was a problem.

"I'll figure something out." She finally said.

"Can't you use somebody else's?" Calo asked.

"No, my old one was made of Mandalorian Iron. It could stand up against lightsabers. I had the grip specially made for my reverse grip. I can't use just anyone's."

"Master! There you are! I had a difficult time getting past those Trandoshans in front of the garage." PROXY, now himself in appearance, came walking in. "I heard what happened. Are you alright?"

"Who is this?" Calo asked

"Calo, this is my droid, PROXY. He belonged to my father originally." Ari looked at PROXY. A thought formed in her mind.

"PROXY, do you have any lightsabers on you?"

"Of course, Master. I always carry at least one with me." He pulled out a lightsaber from his chest compartment.

He pulled out a very old looking lightsaber. Ari walked over inspected the lightsaber. It was a very basic design. She activated the blade. With a snap-hiss, the bright blue blade came to life.

"Whoa, that's a lightsaber?" Calo asked

"Yes. The weapon of choice by the Jedi and the Sith." Ari said as she spun the blade into Shien style. "PROXY, who did you use this lightsaber for?"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker."

"Soresu and Djem So." She said.

"Correct Master."

"What is Sosu and Jemso?" Fang asked.

"Soresu and Djem So are different lightsaber combat forms. I prefer Shien and Juyo." Ari smiled. She had found her blade for the fight.

"[Shut up, they're going to announce the results soon!]" Chutta yelled. Both the _Rogue Riders _and the _Storm Runners_ were scrambling to the edge of the garage. Ari and Calo started walking to the leader's pit.

"So, you're leaving?" Calo asked.

"Who told you?" Ari asked looking up at Calo.

"Fang mentioned it. I almost didn't believe it."

"He wasn't too happy when he found out."

"I can imagine." Calo paused. "I can't believe your going to become a Jedi. No offence, but I never would have believed that _you_ would be Jedi material."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I was told Jedi are nice people for one." Calo smiled

"Hey!" Ari elbowed Calo. He was just harassing her now.

The rest of the walk to the pit was silent. Once they reached the tent, Ari saw Jett. He was with Viper watching her intently. He had a smug grin on his face. Ari walked over to where Nawibo, the leader of the _Sand Hunters_ was leaning up against the railing. He was about six years older than Ari.

"Heard about your fight with Jett after the race. Good luck." He casually said.

"Thanks." Ari replied

"Oh, and tell Fang, congrats on the win."

Ari looked at the scoreboard. Fang's name was still at the top of the chart.

"I will." Ari smiled.

Nawibo was very laid back. He never let anything rattle him, unlike herself. Nawibo flashed her a smile and walked off. Ari felt herself blush. He was kinda cute.

"[Are you going to move or what?]"

Ari turned around to see N'anek standing right behind her. He had a hand on his blaster. Ari could sense his ill will towards her.

"[Move sleemo!]"

Ari gripped her lightsaber, but moved aside. She already had one fight on her hands, she didn't need another.

"Hey, Calo. Do you know anything about this N'anek person?"

"No, just that he's the leader of the _Hidden Daggers_. I don't know much else. Why?"

"Just asking. I've got the feeling he doesn't like me."

"Ari, who does like you?" Calo smiled.

She rolled her eyes and smiled. She watched as Roark walked up to the stage.

"Thanks you all for coming to the races today. We've had some very interesting events happen today." Roark said into a microphone.

"Yeah, no kidding." Calo muttered.

"Shhh." Ari said

"And now, the results of the race. In third place, with a time of 32.65, is Calo of the _Storm Runners_."

There was a cheer from the _Storm Runners_ section of the garage. Ari noticed Calo did the Trandoshan version of blushing.

"In second place, with a time of 32.14 is Rylan Quintos of the _Twin Dunes_."

Another cheer erupted from the garage.

"And finally, the winner of the Mos Espa Swoop Classic, Fang of the _Rogue Riders_, with a time of 31.61 seconds!"

A huge cheer erupted from the garage as well as the crowd. Ari saw Fang walk up to the stage and accept the trophy from S'ati. He held up the trophy as the rest of the _Rogue Riders_ rushed up to the stage. Ari joined them in hoisting Fang up on their shoulders and parading him around the crowd. Once they reached their pit area of the garage, they put Fang back down.

"Nice job, buddy!"

"That put the _Krayts_ in their place!"

"First win of the season!"

Everyone was in a mad dash to talk to Fang. Ari had slipped out of the garage, for some peace and quiet.

"Are you set for the fight, Master?"

PROXY had walked up to Ari in his Rodian form.

"Of, course. When you live on Tatooine for 14 years as a girl, you always have to be ready for a fight." Ari started tossing the lightsaber in her hand, absentmindedly.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"With everything that happened to you today, I was worried you might be injured."

"Give me a little credit. I can take care of myself." Ari sighed. "Besides, Jett won't get a scratch on me. He's not Force sensitive."

"Yes, but you must be careful. Just because he's not Force sensitive, he may still be a threat."

"Ok, ok, I'll be careful."

Ari looked over to where the celebration was happening. Fang was smiling, basking in the glory of winning. Ari was truly happy for her friend. It saddened her that she would be leaving in a few days. Looking down at her wrist chrono, she noticed it was almost time to meet Jett at the old pod racing track.

"Ari!" Dak came walking over to where she and PROXY were sitting.

"Hey, Dak."

"Look, I want you to be careful in your fight. I don't want to have to explain to a Jedi Master why you are dead." He said grinning.

"I'll be fine. Why is everyone worried about me?"

"Because I know you. You seem to get into trouble constantly." Dak placed a hand on Ari's shoulder. "And Aurora told me to tell you be careful."

"I figured. Is she still here?"

"Naw, she went back home after she dropped you off. She said something about making a dinner for an army, or something like that."

"I'm sure she's busy then." Ari tossed the lightsaber in her hand once more.

Ari looked up to see Fang and the rest of the _Rogue Riders_ walking towards her. Fang's smile was gone. In it's place was a look of concern.

"Are you sure you still want to do this?" Fang asked

"There's no backing out. Let's go." Ari stood up and walked to the swoop bikes.

The pod racing track hadn't been used in years. Since Jabba died, nobody had the funds or the want to restore it. Besides, it was technically illegal to pod race. But that didn't stop some. Ari had been there before many times. Jacobi would bring the _Black Krayts_ here and do some test runs and experiment with new technology. As the _Rogue_'s approached the start/finish line, Ari could see the _Black Krayts_ already waiting. Ari hopped off her bike and approached Jett.

"'Bout time you showed up. I was beginning to think you chicken out." He sneered.

"To be honest, I'm surprised you showed up. Your fear is pretty easy to sense." Ari shot back.

"Enough you two. Let's go over the rules." Ari looked over to see Marko, the bartender of the _Drunken Dragon_ walking towards them.

"I figured we could use a neutral party to referee the fight." Dak whispered.

"First off, the ring has been marked in the sand. If either of you step out of the ring, you lose. Second, no rockets. Blasters or swords only. I don't want to have to clean up a mess once this is over with. And third, anything goes. Make all the cheap shots and dirty tricks you want. It's a fight until one of you gives up, or dies. Are we clear?"

Ari and Jett both nodded their heads.

"The proceed to opposite sides of the ring."

Ari walk into the ring and turned to face Jett. He had is hand positioned right above his blaster.

"On the count of three, proceed. One."

Ari's hand twitched towards her lightsaber.

"Two."

She and Jett stared into each others eyes, trying to decipher the other's first move.

"Three."

6


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17:

"Three."

The only two sounds Ari heard were the bang from Jett's blaster and the snap-hiss of her lightsaber. The blaster bolt was directed into the ground a few feet from where Jett was standing. Jett fired again forcing Ari to keep moving. Ari knew he was trying to force her towards the edge of the circle. Switching the lightsaber into the backhand grip, she proceeded forwards deflecting Jett's shot into the ground beside him. She saw Jett raise his blaster towards the sky and fired a few shots. Ari looked up and saw the archway above them crumbling. Using the Force, she pushed the rocks away from her and towards Jett.

"Is that all you've got?" Ari taunted

Jett's face turned red with anger. He raised his blaster and shot at her again. She deflected them again, aiming them back towards Jett.

"You talk a big game, but can you actually beat me?"

"Just you wait!" Jett sneered. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small round cylinder. He flipped open the top and pressed his thumb on a small red button. "Good bye Ari."

Ari felt the ground shake and saw a fissure form in the ground between herself and Jett. She felt the ground give out from underneath her and started to fall into the sink hole.

"Ari!" Fang yelled.

She jumped towards the edge of the hole, grabbing onto the edge. Looking below, she saw the bottom of the hole was about 40 meters below her. Looking up, Ari pulled herself up onto the ground. She looked towards Jett. He had his back turned to her, facing the _Black Krayts_.

"This isn't over, Jett." Ari said.

"You just won't die, will you?" he yelled. Jett raised his blaster and started firing crazily at Ari. She deflected the shot and started to advance on Jett. Once she was only a few meters away from him, she grabbed him with the Force and flung him in the air. As he started falling back to the ground, she caught him and held him a few meters off the ground. She could sense fear going through his mind. This made her smile.

"You've won, you've won! Please let me go!" he pleaded.

"Only if you promise a few things. One, I don't want to catch you harassing any of the _Rogue Riders_. Second, you better not try and kill anybody again. You never know if they can use the Force or not. Finally, you better step down from the leader of the _Black Krayts_." She said menacingly.

Jett's only response was to nod his head. She threw him back towards his team and walked away.

"I win." She said not looking back at him.

Jett stood back up and brushed the dirt off of him. He pulled out Viper's heavy blaster and aimed at Ari. Ari spun around, Force pushing the blaster out of his hand and shocking him with Force Lightning. She walked over to him and talked,

"I have given you fair warning time and time again. And now I'm done." She stopped shocking him. "I won't kill you. I was raised to be a Jedi, not as a Sith. Before I do something I regret, get out of my sight." Ari said looking at Viper.

Viper nodded in response and picked the barley conscious Jett up and left in a hurry. Once they were out of sight, she sighed.

"That was some fight. I never would have known you had that much power Ari." Marko said walking over to her. "I don't think he'll mess with you again." With that he walked away.

"Are you ok?" Fang asked.

"Yeah. I'm just glad it's over." She said, looking to the sky.

The first sun had set, and the second sun was touching the horizon line.

"Let's go home." She smiled at Fang. "It's time to celebrate a major win."

_Back at the Rogue Riders garage..._

"Where are they?" Aurora was pacing along the length of the garage.

["Relax. I'm sure Ari and the others are safe."] Chutta said.

"But what if Ari let her guard down for a second? What if Jett had a really nasty trick up his sleeve? What if..."

"What if she's just fine?" Dak said walking into the garage. Behind him was Ari and Fang.

"You're safe!" Aurora ran to Ari and hugged her. "Are you all right? Is anything broken?"

"No, but if you keep hugging me like this, then something will break." Ari replied

"Sorry. I was worried Jett would kill you. What happened?"

"Let's just say Jett is a little 'shocked' by the experience. He won't be messing with us anytime soon." Fang said.

"Shocked? What do you mean shocked?"

"It's nothing, sis. Just one of Fang's dumb jokes." Dak said leading his sister into the side room. The smell of cooking food wafted through the garage.

"Mmm, smells good." Fang said, twitching his nose.

"I hope it does. When you cook for an army, you worry about making enough for everybody and about taste."

"I'm sure it's fine." Ari said. "The rest of the team should be here soon. I told them to go get cleaned up."

["Hey boss, congrats on kicking Jett's butt."] Chutta said walking over to Ari. ]"I'm sorry I wasn't there to see it."]

"I'm hoping he'll leave you guys alone now. After what happened today, I doubt he'll bother the _Rogue_'s again."

["if I caught Fang's joke correctly, then I doubt he will."]

"You caught that, huh?"

["Fang made it fairly obvious."] He chuckled. ["It's a good thing Aurora is preoccupied with other things, or else you would have never heard the end of it."]

"I didn't hurt him that bad. But I was determined to let him know I was not going to be pushed around any more." Ari looked over to the opening garage door. The rest of the _Rogue Riders_ had cleaned up and were walking towards Ari.

"Hey, it's boss!"

"Heard you kicked Jett's ass!"

"Knew you'd be fine."

"Thanks." Ari said as they walked into the side room where Aurora, Dak and Fang had disappeared into. "I think we should go in. I don't want to hold up a hungry team of swoop racers."

["You might be able to take Jett on, but I bet a whole team of swoop racers would take you out easily."] Chutta laughed.

"Thanks for the confidence." Ari said, rolling her eyes and following Chutta into the side room.

There was a long table in the center of the room with chairs on each side. Plates and silver wear lined each place along the table. The majority of the team was seated, with an empty seat at the head of the table. Ari sat at the head, the traditional spot of the team leader. A wave of sadness washed over her as she realized this would be the last time she would sit here. Fang, who was at her right, looked at her. Dak, on Ari's left, was also looking at her. Ari stood up to address the team.

"We have won the first and biggest race of our season. Fang was excellent out on the track. I'm sorry I missed his performance. Congratulations to Fang!"

The whole team clapped for Fang as he stood up and bowed. He then let out a roar for deep within his throat.

"And a deal was made so that the _Black Krayts_ would leave us alone." Dak added. "Ari personally saw to that."

Ari felt her cheeks grow warm and the team cheered for her. Fang grabbed her arm and lifted it into the air. When the team settled down she continued her speech.

"But I do have some news most of you won't like." Her tone was serious. "I have decided to announce my resignation for the position of leadership in the _Rogue Riders_. I am also announcing my resignation from the team."

The table was silent. Finally Neku spoke up.

"Why? You don't have to worry about Jett any more. We are finally the top team in Mos Espa."

"I have been given an offer, one that I had a hard time accepting."

"You aren't leaving us for the _Black Krayts_, are you?" Talia asked.

"No, I would never abandon the _Rogues_ for them. Some of t you know I led two men into the desert a few days ago. They were Han Solo and Luke Skywalker." Ari paused. Murmurs were heard across the table. "Luke sensed my Force abilities and offered to take me to Yavin IV and help me finish my Jedi training."

["Aren't you already a Jedi? I'm mean aside from having your own lightsaber; can't you do everything they can?"] Brokden, a Gran asked.

"No, I'm not a Jedi. I still have a lot to learn about the ways of the Force. There are many things I can't do that most Jedi can." Ari felt sadness coming from the team. It pained her to tell them this. Most of them had been a family for over a year now. They had all grown close with each other. "I hated to tell you all this today, especially after today's performance."

"How much longer are you here for?" Neku asked

"I leave in two days."

There was silence at the table. Ari felt bad for having to tell them this, but it was better than leaving without giving an explanation.

["I'm happy for you, boss."] Chutta finally spoke up. ["You've had things taken from you all your life but you give to others. If it weren't for you, most of us wouldn't be swoop racing. If we were lucky, we'd be with the _Krayts_ but I don't think any of us really wanted that. You provided us with a second way out. But nobody has ever done anything for you. Not as much as you've done for us."]

Ari could hardly believe her ears. Chutta never took anything serious. But here he was, saying how she had deserved the chance Luke was giving her. She expected the team to be angry about her departure.

"I agree with Chutta. Boss, you've given everything for this team. It's time you have something for yourself. I for one, am happy your going. To be honest, you don't fit in here on Tatooine. I knew that the day I first saw you." Dak added

"Thanks everyone. I didn't think you guys really cared. But you do realize you have to find someone else to lead the team?" Ari said.

"Yeah, but it can't be that hard. Since we're a civilized team, why not vote who we want to lead?" Fang suggested.

"I think that's a good idea. Besides we all know who would win if we raced." Dak said looking towards Fang.

["I nominate Christophe. I know he's not here, but I think he'd be a good leader."] Chutta said

"I think Fang would be good. I mean, he did win today." Neku said.

"What about Dak?" Brokden added.

"Whoa, no way. I'm not being leader. It's bad enough to be the mechanic around here. Being a leader would be too much." Dak said shaking his head.

"Any other nominees?" Fang asked.

Nobody said anything, so Fang stood up.

"Well, then let's take a vote."

"Can I make a suggestion?" Ari asked. She was sitting down at this point.

"Sure, Boss. You're still Boss until someone else is chosen for leader." Dak said.

"Check with Christophe and see if he wants to be leader. Dak didn't, so make sure he wants to."

"We'll have to wait while, since Christophe's in the med center." Aurora added.

["But Ari could be gone by then. And Christophe will still have to heal."] A human male named Lirod added.

"Then does everyone agreed to make Fang the new leader of the _Rogue Riders_?" Dak asked standing up.

There was a unanimous yes from the team. Ari sighed inside. Fang would keep the team going strong, not that anyone wouldn't have. Fang had been a part of various swoop teams in the past. He knew what he was doing.

"Then let's transfer the power now." Ari said standing up.

She faced Fang as he stood up.

"I, Ari Marek, current leader of the _Rogue Riders_ wish to relinquish my power as leader. Do you, Fang, feel that you are up to the task of leading the said swoop team?" Ari said

"I, Fang, believe I am capable of leading this swoop team. I will treat my teammates as my family and take any and all blame should something happen." Fang responded.

"If would you die to protect your team if you had no other choice?"

"In a heartbeat."

"Then I relinquish the power of leadership onto you." Ari stuck her hand out and spit in it.

Fang did the same to his hand. They shook hands, sealing the deal. Ari smiled as she felt the excitement swell up inside of her friend.

"But I still get to sit here for tonight." She added, with a grin on her face.

"For tonight only." Fang smiled back.

"Finally, we can eat now." Dak said digging into the assortment of food on the table in front of him. Ari and Fang sat back down and enjoyed Aurora's home cooked meal. Ari savored each bit, since this would be her last meal with the team.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18:

_The next day..._

Ari was busy. Now that she didn't have to worry about the transfer of power, she could focus on getting ready for when Luke arrived. PROXY was no help when it came to deciding what to take with her. Her holo of her mother, Kota's journal and box of lightsaber parts, her model of her swoop bike, and some of her clothes. She had given the money she received from Luke to Fang and told him to spend it on the team. She went to the med center and told Christophe she was leaving. He was happy for her, but she sensed he was also sad she was leaving. She laughed when he told her "not to get blown up."

"Master, I feel I must express my concern about something." PROXY said, standing in Ari's room while she pack some last minute things.

"About what?" She said folding a tunic

"Will I be allowed to stay with you? I know the Jedi of the old Republic were not allowed to have possessions."

"I know. If they try to separate us, I won't train with them then. It's a simple as that."

"But wh..."

"PROXY, quit being so pessimistic. It'll be fine. I'm sure Luke will understand. Doesn't he always have an R2 unit with him?"

"I'm not pessimistic, just pragmatic. And how would I know if he had an R2 unit with him." PROXY responded, crossing his arms.

"PROXY, sometimes I forget you're a droid and not a real human." Ari laughed.

Ari's door open as Fang walked in. He had a new black cutoff shirt with the teal phoenix on the shoulder.

"That's a change from your normal green shirt." Ari remarked

"Eh, I felt like I needed a change. When I walked into the _Drunken Dragon_ for lunch, I saw Jett and Viper in there. Jett looked up, saw me and ran out. Viper got stuck paying Markus for Jett's meal. It made my day." Fang said flopping down on Ari's bed.

"And it's not even mid-day yet." Ari smiled.

"Just thought I'd let you know. Jett did have a nasty red mark running up his arms and onto his face. He looks rough."

"He deserved it. I have gone through years of hell from him. I was sick of it. Simple as that."

"Master, may I ask what you did?" PROXY asked "Did it involve Force Lightning?"

"Yes, but it was controlled."

"But you were still scary." Fang commented.

"But I was in control. I knew what I was doing."

"Well, either way it's over now. I still can't imagine what it'll be like when you're gone. It won't be the same."

"You'll be fine. Besides, you'll be busy with the team."

"When will Luke come to pick us up?" PROXY asked

"Should be tomorrow. I want to be packed by tonight, aside from the essentials. Once I get my clothes packed, I'm going through my office. It'll be all yours tonight."

"Hey, take your time. Since when do I need an office?" Fang grinned

"Where are you going to keep the records of races?"

"Hehe, I kinda forgot about that."

"The _Rogue_s are doomed." Ari groaned.

"We'll be fine. Besides, Dak and Christophe will help me if I need it."

"I know. There are times I worry about you."

Fang's commlink starts to beep. He smiles at Ari and walks out. PROXY has walked over to Ari.

"Is there anyway I may be of assistance?"

"No, PROXY. I've got things under control here. Its just time consuming. I'm almost done with my clothes. And it won't take long to clean out the office." Ari paused. She walked over to her nightstand and grabbed the lightsaber she used to fight Jett.

"I thought you might want this back. Hopefully, I'll have my own soon." Ari handed the lightsaber to PROXY.

"Ah, I trust it was of use?"

"Very much so."

PROXY put the lightsaber in his chest cavity and walked out, leaving Ari to finish packing.

_Later that evening..._

Ari walked into the dining area of the house. Aurora had prepared Ari's favorite meal, Bantha Steak. Fang was worn out from his busy day. He had to get the team prepared for the next swoop race, which was in two weeks. Ari had been trying to help Fang adjust to being the leader.

"Well, I see you haven't left yet." Dak said walking into the kitchen.

"Funny, Dak. Who are you going to make fun of when I'm gone?"

"I'll still be making jokes about you after you're gone." Dak grinned with a rotten look in his eyes.

"No, he'll probably start harassing Fang or Chutta." Aurora replied.

"Hey, what makes you think I'll make fun of anybody? Maybe I'll go straight after she leaves." Dak said nudging Ari.

"Oh, you would stop bugging people _after_ I leave. Love you too, Dak." Ari smiled

Fang had placed a piece of the steak on his fork and flicked it at Ari. It missed and hit Dak instead.

"Haha, your aim sucks." Ari laughed.

Dak took a piece of his steak and flicked it at Fang.

"Would you two stop? No flicking food at each other." Aurora said, aggravated.

"Sorry sis. Fang and I want Ari's last dinner here to be a memorable one. Right, Fang?" Dak said

"Yeah, I doubt any of the Jedi are as fun as us." Fang teased. "They're all probably like 'You must not do that with a lightsaber. It is only used for showing off, not actually fighting others.'"

Ari was laughing now. Dak and Fang were standing and pretending to spar with each other.

"This ought to be fun every night." Aurora sighed heavily.

"If it gets that bad, I'm sure you could find someone on the team to send them to." Ari replied.

"Did you get everything packed up you're taking?"

"Yeah, I'm all set for tomorrow. I'm not taking everything. Sell what you don't need or want. It won't be a whole lot, but it'll at least be something. It won't be enough to thank you and Dak for everything you've done for me."

"Don't worry about it. If we wanted payment, we would have said so. Dak and I were raised to help people who need it."

"And I can never thank you enough."

Fang had cornered Dak in the living room. Fang was so into the moment, his tail was swishing back and forth furiously and knocked over a vase sitting on one of the tables. They both flinched, waiting to hear the crash, but it never came. Ari had used the Force and caught the vase right before it hit the ground.

"That was close." Dak laughed nervously.

"And that is why you two should stop." Ari said, raising an eyebrow and smiling.

"Fine." Fang groaned

"Killjoy." Dak muttered.

As Fang and Dak sat down, Ari glanced at her wrist chrono.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to take a shower. I want to be as clean as possible for tomorrow."

"Oh, please do. I can smell you from a mile away." Fang was making a stinky face.

"Sure, go ahead." Aurora said, glaring at Fang.

Ari put her plate in the sink and walked to her room. She grabbed her sleeping clothes and went into the bathroom. Turning on the shower, she looked at her face.

There was a faint scar on her right cheek, and on above her left eye. Her face was tanned from the twin suns. Looking down at her hands, she saw even more scars. Most had come from working with the swoop bikes.

Sighing, she undressed and went into the shower.

Ari was laying on her bed, tossing a small, round, metallic object in her hand. The twin suns had set and PROXY was switched off. Aurora had already gone to bed and Fang was asleep on the couch. Dak had disappeared some time ago.

'Great time to have insomnia.' Ari thought to herself. 'Luke will be here tomorrow and I look like hell.' She looked over at the motionless PROXY. 'I could take him apart and make some final adjustments.'

Ari jumped as her door opened. Dak was standing there, with a box in his hands.

"Sorry if I woke you up."

"It's ok, I wasn't asleep." Ari gestured to the box. "What's that?"

"It's a going away present." Dak said.

He walked over and sat at the end of Ari's bed. He then handed the box to her.

"I hope you like it. It's not much."

Ari opened the box and saw a holo album book inside.

"What's this?" Ari said opening the book up.

"It's a collection of pictures from the past few years. After you told me you were leaving, I went around trying to find holo's of you and the team. Sorry, if it looks like it was rushed. I got most of the pictures today. I even found a few of you and Jacobi. I even found one of your Uncle Kota. It's just a little something to remember us all by. And when you become a big, bad, famous Jedi Master, you can remember all the little people who help you."

"Dak, even if I have my memory wiped, I would still remember you." Ari smiled and hugged him.

"You're welcome, Ari. You should probably get to sleep. It could be a long day tomorrow." Dak stood up and walked towards the door.

"Night Dak. And thanks for everything."

"You're welcome. Night." Dak walked out, leaving Ari with the book. She leaned back and started flipping through the different pictures. She found the one of Kota. It was a picture of two Duros but you could clearly see Kota walking through the picture behind them. The next few were of Jacobi. The first was of his leader's pose. He was leaning up against a wall, his jet black, spiky hair, his grey eyes sparkling and his signature half smile. She smiled at the nest holo of him being lifted into the air by the _Black Krayts_ after he won a swoop race. Then came a few of his funeral. She skimmed over those, and came to the ones of her and the early members of the _Rogue Riders_. The first holo was of Fang. He was a little younger and didn't have his goatee. Then came Dak, Aurora, Christophe and the other members of the team. There was even a holo of the whole team taken the night before, after dinner. Even though there were more holos she wanted to look at, she put the book down and went to sleep.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19:

The first of Tatooine's suns had not even peeked over the horizon and Ari was already up and moving. She had unpacked everything and repacked twice. She was currently in the middle of making more modifications to PROXY when Aurora walked into her room.

"And how long have you been up?" Aurora asked looking around the fairly bare room.

"Awhile." Came Ari's response. She was too focused on PROXY to pay too much attention to anything else.

"And did you sleep well?" Aurora asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Came the same automatic response.

"Did Dak give you his gift?"

"Yeah."

"Do you like it?"

"Yeah."

"Did you thank him?"

"Yeah."

"Did you kiss him?" Aurora smiled.

"Yeah. Wait, no!" Ari dropped the hydrospanner and turned to glare at Aurora. "That's not fair. You know how I get when I'm absorbed in something."

"I know, but I couldn't resist. So how long have you been up?"

"I was up before the first sun rose. I wanted to make sure everything was set before I left. And I wanted to make some final adjustments on PROXY."

"Shouldn't you be ready now? What if Luke comes now? Are you set?"

"I would just have to pack my tools away. Their case is packed on top. And PROXY doesn't take long to activate, or he won't when I'm done with him." Ari grinned as she returned to her work.

"Well, just be ready. Fang needs your help on a form for the next swoop race. There's a section he's not sure about." Aurora left the room.

Ari went back to work on PROXY. A few minutes later, she put her tools down and closed the panel on the droid's chest. The droids eyes started to glow a yellow hue.

"It appears I'm fully functional again." He stated

"Yep, I had to fix a few minor things. Does everything seem to be working right?"

"I think so. What did you change?"

"Just updating some of your older systems. I don't know what to expect when we leave here, and I want to be prepared for anything." She wiped her tools off and packed them in her bag. "I've got to go help Fang with a few things before we leave. Stay out of trouble."

"Master, when have I ever gotten in trouble?" the droid asked innocently.

Ari just shook her head and left. She walked into the garage and found Fang talking to Chutta.

"Hey, Ari, are you free for a moment. I need to ask you a question on a piece of paperwork for the next swoop race."

"Actually, Aurora already told me and I came to find you."

"Great!"

Fang and Ari walked to the office and Fang sat down at his desk.

"What's the problem?" Ari asked

"Team Identification? Is that a number or is it the team name?" Fang asked raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, that. You don't have to fill part of that out until the meeting. You can put the team name down and at the meetings, they assign you a number."

"That's it?"

"That's it. They tend to make registering for swoop races harder than it needs to be. Especially the big races. But once you do it two or three times, it gets easier." Ari grabbed the flimsy sheet off the desk and looked over it. "Everything looks good."

There was knock on the door. Ari looked up, sensing who it was. She smiled and looked at Fang. He nodded, knowing who it was as well.

"Come in." Fang yelled

The door opened to reveal Luke standing on the other side. He walked in.

"Master Skywalker." Ari bowed.

"So, you're Luke. I'm Fang, Ari's best friend." Fang said crossing his arms, trying to intimidate Luke.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Fang. Ari spoke very highly of you. It's an honor to meet you."

Ari smirked.

"Are you ready?" Luke asked, turning to Ari.

"Yes, let me go grab my gear. I'll be back in a second." Ari walked out, leaving Fang and Luke alone.

Fang was studying Luke, while Luke was looking around the office.

"She will be safe." Luke spoke after a minute.

"What?" Fang asked

"You're worried about her safety. She will be safe among the Jedi." Luke smiled.

"She's like a little sister. If anything happens to her..." Fang trailed off.

"Fang, I'll be fine." Ari said. She had her suitcase to her left and PROXY was standing behind her.

"Are you ready?"

Ari was silent for a minute. She looked at Fang, who nodded and smiled back.

"Yes. I'm ready." She replied.

Luke only nodded and walked out. Ari followed with Fang behind her and PROXY.

'_I'm finally leaving this planet.'_ Ari thought to herself. They walked to the main part of the house. Dak was in the kitchen, looking like he had just woken up. He was in his sleep wear, which consisted of black shorts and a grey cut-off shirt.

"Hey! Are you leaving?" He said getting up from the table.

"Yes, I'm leaving." She said.

Dak came over to her and hugged her.

"I'm going to... I'm going to miss you." He chocked.

"Dak, are you crying?" Ari asked.

"No, I'm just going to miss you."

Ari could feel wetness where his head was.

"I'll miss you too." I pull away. If I let Dak have his way, he wouldn't let go. "Where's Aurora?"

"She couldn't handle you leaving. She's out running errands with Chutta. Fang and I are the only ones who stuck around to see you leave. The others couldn't handle it." He said.

"I'm not sure... I'm not sure we can handle it." Fang said, choking up now.

"I'll miss you guys." She said, tears swelling up in her eyes.

Fang had now joined in on the hug. Luke smiled and stepped outside, giving them some privacy. PROXY followed him.

"I'll try to contact you when I can. I've considered you my family for a long time. I won't ever forget you." Ari didn't cry but she was close. "It's time for me to go." She said breaking away.

"Take care. And be safe." Dak said.

"And don't pick a fight with anyone bigger than you. I won't be there to save you butt." Fang added, with a toothy grin.

"I'll be fine. You too take care. Keep an eye out for the _Krayts_."

"I doubt they'll be a problem, considering the ass kicking you gave Jett."

"Still, just be safe."

With that Ari grabbed her backpack and walked out the door. Luke was standing there talking to PROXY.

"Are you okay, master? You look like you were crying." PROXY asked.

"I'll be fine PROXY." Ari smiled.

"Are you ready then?" Luke asked.

"Yes. I'm ready." Ari picked up the bigger suitcase and followed Luke to the hangars. On the way over, she saw the rest of the _Rogue Riders_. They were just walking along the streets and waved to her as she passed.

Upon entering the hangar, the ship she saw shocked her.

"What kind of ship is that? It looks like a modified YT-1300. And kinda beat up." Ari said, staring at the ship.

"But she's the most reliable ship out there." Han said walking out from around the ship. "Nice to see you again, Ari."

"Wait, this is the _Millennium Falcon_! I've heard all about this ship." Ari dropped her case and went to inspect the ship herself. Han grinned at her enthusiasm.

"I wouldn't call it reliable." Luke laughed.

"Hey, you of all people know she's got it where it counts. Especially when it comes to saving your butt, junior."

"I'm just saying. Escaping Bespin would have been easier if the hyper drive actually worked."

"That wasn't my fault. I thought it was fixed. But I know it works fine now. Chewie and I made sure of that."

"Not that it matters now. We don't have to run from the Empire anymore." Luke said

Ari had returned from inspecting the outside of the ship.

"Are you two ready? I've been to this dust bowl more times than I care to remember." Han said, wiping sweat off his forehead.

"I'm ready." Ari said. She followed Han as he walked up the _Falcon's_ boarding ramp. PROXY and Luke followed.

Once inside, Ari walked to the cockpit and ran into a wall of fur.

["Watch where you are going."] Chewbacca growled.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Ari said. She moved out of Chewie's way and sat in a car behind the pilots seat. Han sat in front of Ari while Luke sat across from her.

"Don't mind Chewie. He wasn't too happy to learn we were coming back to this sand pit."

["You weren't happy either."] Chewie replied walking back in and sitting in the copilot's chair.

Ari got excited when the ship came to life. She couldn't remember much about the flight from Kashyyyk to Tatooine with Kota. As the ship left the atmosphere, she took one last look at the desert planet. A voice in her head said that it would be a long time before she would ever see her sandy home again.

"Ready for lightspeed?" Han asked

["Ready."] Chewbacca responded.

The stars blurred and one thought crossed Ari's mind.

'_My life as Ari the swoop racer is over. No comes Ari the Jedi._'

End

**I want to thank everyone who read, reviewed and favorited this story. **

**I hate to cut off Ari's journey here, but I need ideas for the rest of her training. Once I figure that part out, I'll start posting the second half:**_** Like Father, Like Daughter**_**. **

5


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